Sailor Gaea R
by WaterBendingQueen88
Summary: A girl who was once a normal hard-working middle school girl, has accepted she's not so normal as she once thought. Now protector of humanity and nature. The Dark Kingdom defeated. Things were better. However, something is coming. Disrupt the new normal, can they handle it? R stands for the 'Return' of Sailor Gaea and her friends in the second installment of the Sailor Gaea series!
1. The Winter Ghost Bride

**_I_** __ _ **thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

Snow... So white and pure... Ayame personally liked the snow. Despite often being linked to death and hardships. She preferred it when snow was compared to innocent or unblemished things. Used to symbolize tranquility and beauty.

In places like Japan, they often used the color white to represent mourning and death. Snow was also often used in media to foreshadow upcoming wars. Deep and falling snow was particularly used to represent hardships or death. Melting snow could symbolize a new beginning or the end of hardships. Because snow covers everything and changes a familiar landscape into something new, it can be associated with transformation. Snow was often used to depict a life-changing situation.

As Ayame watched the snow fall from the shop window, she hoped the snow before her symbolized tranquility and beauty. Rather than future hardships, death, or yet another life-changing situation in her life.

Her first life-changing situation with started with a mansion appearing out of thin air, a tan talking cat and a special broach he had given her. Leading her to new friends, old-new friends, a brother she never knew she had, and the love of her life. She fought against evil and remembered her past life. Now that the past had been put to rest, she could finally focus on the present and future.

With only two days before Christmas, Ayame just wanted some peace for herself and her friends. She had been busy ever since the 15th with the fall of the Dark Kingdom and the week after cleaning up after the enemy. She hardly had time for Christmas shopping.

Looking back at the others shopping with her, Ayame couldn't help but smile at the others she had asked to join her on this trip. Along with her was Naru, Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Taura.

All her friends from Juban Middle School were with her. After learning Usagi and her friends no longer remembered meeting each other, Ayame and her team had made it one of their missions to get the girls back together again.

The first order of business had been meeting them again and introducing themselves. Honestly, it wasn't to difficult to meet Ami and Makoto again. Ayame remembered when she was first introduced to Ami and Rei by Usagi and they had all gone to the park Ami frequented.

It was as simple as pretending to bump into her while going through the park. Ayame helped her with her books and they got to talking, which lead to Ayame introducing the blue haired girl to Naru and Usagi.

After that, Taura handled Makoto. They had been in gym class that day when the two had formed a bond of friendship. Both were athletic competed against each other during class. They talked after and they even sat together for lunch. Ayame joined them and eventually introduced them to the rest of the girls.

When Usagi, Ami, and Makoto had introduced themselves, the others had watched with baited breaths. Searching for anything that could show their plan was working. After they had finished introductions, the girls saw it. It had been a brief, tiny spark. But a spark none the less. A brief feeling the three of them had gotten that they had met before. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Ayame hoped spending time together would help jog some memories, but there wasn't much development on that front.

In the meantime, Ayame was getting her last bit of shopping done. She had needed presents for her parents, Jadeite, Chiyu a.k.a. Zoisite, Teiso a.k.a. Kunzite, and Masato a.k.a. her beloved Nephrite. Not forgetting the girls, Naru, Usagi, Jing, Taura, Nanami, and Hiroko. She hadn't gotten presents for Ami or Makoto since it would have seemed strange with them meeting just recently and becoming friends mere days ago. She did get something for Yumemei.

Ami was getting a present for her mother and Makoto was shopping for her Christmas dinner since she lived alone and didn't have any family members. Ayame had offered Makoto was welcome to join her and her family, but she declined the offer.

As they shopped, Ayame had already bought presents for Naru, Taura, and Usagi. She didn't want to spoil the surprise so she had shopped ahead of time for their presents.

She had bought Usagi a Sailor V, a Sailor Moon and a Tuxedo Mask plushie since she was a fan of them. For Naru, she bought her a new racket so she could use it to play more with Rui, her big sister figure and the tennis player. For Taura, she got her a new epee mask for her fencing club.

She had also gotten new drawing pencils for Nanami. For Hiroko, she had gotten her a wind chime Ayame had seen Hiroko looking at days prior. For Jing, Ayame had help from Hiroko picking out an antique music box from China.

For her parents, she bought her mother a set of her favorite scented candles and for her father, a foot massager. For Yumemei, she bought some flower seeds her sensei could plant come spring.

The guys were a little difficult and what she would have liked to do was get something for her brother too. Either way she managed. For Jadeite, she bought him a collar with his name on it. For Zoisite, he would get some flower seeds as well since he had taken gardening as a hobby much to her surprise. For Kunzite, she had gotten him a name plate for his new desk as CEO of one of the many corporations left over from the Dark Kingdom. One being a producer, helping new idols rise on their way to stardom. For Nephrite, his was easy and difficult at the same time. It would be their first Christmas together in this new era and she wanted something absolutely prefect.

In the end, she had gotten photobook. It was empty for now, but she intended to fill it together with Nephrite with new memories. Each year, taking a new photo to celebrate and look back on what they had accomplished.

"Hey, Ayame. Have you found what you needed?" Ami asked as she interrupted Ayame's thoughts.

"Oh, yes I have. Thanks for coming along, Ami." Ayame replied.

"It's fine. It's nice of you to have invited me along. I rarely go shopping with others and it's been quite fun. Especially Usagi." Ami answered as they both turned to look at the girl.

She was looking at all the Sailor Guardian merchandise and gushing about how cool and cute they were. Naru was with her critiquing the toy copies of the Sailor Guardians of Earth's weapons.

Ayame sighed at the sight. It was too bad the other Sailor Guardians wouldn't make an appearance anytime soon. Seeing Uasgi being her oblivious, goofy self at times angered her so much. The times Usagi and Shingo messed with each other made Ayame want to throw a fit in jealousy.

Usagi had her own brother, why must she be denied her own? Ayame would think to herself. She was able to reign in and manage such resentment with the consoling thought of Nephrite introducing them later on.

She doubted she would get anywhere close to the strong relationship they had in their past lives, but at least she could still be a part of his life. Both of them were no longer the people they once were. They had changed and Ayame was honestly looking forward to meeting and getting to know her brother again.

She was worried about him, he was like Makoto. Neither of them had family to spend Christmas with. The guys however assured her they wouldn't let Mamoru get lonely and be there for him.

"Are you okay, Ayame?" Makoto said as she joined them, snapping Ayame out of her thoughts this time.

"You keep spacing out on us." Ami observed.

"Again, sorry. I'm okay. I just have a lot on my mind these days."

"That's true. We can't forget exams and stuff coming up. I need to study even harder." Ami said as Makoto and Ayame sighed.

"I wished Usagi was as determined as you when it came to school." Ayame grumbled. "I've known her for years and the only thing she gets serious about is food, sleeping, manga, and boys."

"How and why did you become friends if you don't mind me asking." Makoto asked.

"Usagi has many faults." Ayame answered lowly. "But she has other qualities that can make up for it." Not elaborating on the matter.

Ami and Makoto backing off, seeing it was a touchy subject.

"Um, who are all the presents for? Do you have a large extended family?" Makoto said, changing the subject and noticing all the bags.

"No, only two of them are for family members. The rest is for some of my close friends, my boyfriend, and his friends." Ayame answered.

"You have a boyfriend? So lucky!" Makoto whined as she began imagining all the fun things Ayame and her boyfriend could do to celebrate the festive holiday.

"I truly am. I wouldn't trade it for the world." Ayame told them.

Seeing Makoto's longing and pining look, Ayame could tell the girl was thinking about the guy that had broken her heart.

"Don't worry, Makoto." She assured her, breaking Makoto's thoughts. "One day, you'll get a boyfriend someday as well."

Makoto ginned at the encouragement. "Thanks, Ayame. I'm amazed we've never hanged out before. You're pretty cool."

"Y-Yeah." Ayame said, caught a little off guard by the comment.

'If only you knew the truth.' Ayame thought.

"I don't have time for romance. I have cram school and tests to prepare for. We may be in middle school, but we must take our studies seriously now if we want to succeed in life." Ami said passionately before her expression turned sheepish.

"Honestly, I'm practically allergic to romance. Just getting love letter causes me to break out in hives." Ami confessed.

Both girls turned to the bluenette in shock. Neither of them had hear of someone being allergic to love letters.

Ayame could only pity poor Ryo. He certainly had his work cut out for him if he wanted to become an official couple with Ami. On the bright side, it meant only guys that were really determined would catch her eye so Ryo didn't have any rivals to deal with.

"You do have a point. School is important for one's future. However, there's nothing wrong with finding someone special that makes you feel special." Ayame spoke as she checked on Usagi and Naru.

Seeing Taura join them, from having stopped at another shop that had caught her eye and after looking around had was now looking at some of the Sailor Guardian merchandise.

With a sigh, Ayame noticed the time and knew they needed to head back soon.

"Come on, if we don't leave now, it'll take forever for us to drag Usagi away from the Sailor Moon stuff." Ayame said as the others nodded.

"It's kinda odd, isn't it?" Makoto asked.

"What's odd?" Ami asked.

"There hasn't been any sightings or rumors about Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, or Sailor V. The last major thing was that article in the Weekly Dokkiri. When they were all fighting. There have been some of the other guardians. Like Sailor Gaea, Sailor Zephyrus, Sailor Notos, Sailor Eurus, and Sailor Boreus. It's been a while since there was anything about that Tuxedo Mask dude either. Do you thing the Planetary Sailor Guardians disbanded or something?" Makoto asked.

"Hmm. Seems possible." Ami answered. "What do you think, Ayame?"

Ayame was silent as she thought best to answer. "Maybe they have, but not because of an argument. The Sailor Guardians appeared when strange things were happening in Tokyo. It's been pretty quiet these days, maybe they solved the problem and disbanded because they're no longer necessary. Or they're taking a vacation. It is close to Christmas." Ayame offered her explanation.

"That makes sense, I guess." Makoto said as they walked up to the others.

"Hey, girls. Are you about done here?" Ayame asked.

"I guess, but seriously Ayame, these toys don't even come close to the real things!" Naru complained as she held a toy version of the Earth Defender Blade.

"How do you know, it doesn't?" Ami asked, making Naru scramble for an answer.

"Um, well, you see," She said before calming down and answering. "I've unfortunately have had to be saved by the Sailor Guardians multiple times. So I've seen them up close and saw their weapons. These just don't do them justice."

"You're so lucky, Naru. You've meet the Sailor Guardians and their so cool!" Usagi whined. "I wish I could get all of their merchandise, even if you say they're not like what they actually look like. They're still cool."

"Come on, Usagi. That's enough for one day. We all need to head home. Santa is coming soon so you best be on good behavior or he won't get you anything." Ayame threatened, making Usagi easily comply.

After paying for their purchases, the girls bundled themselves as they headed out into the cold. To Ayame's surprise, Nephrite was parked outside waiting.

When Usagi and Makoto saw him both were gushing.

"Wow! He's hot! He looks like a model or something." Usagi said as Ayame could have sworn she saw hearts in the blonde's eyes. "Who do think he's waiting for?"

"He reminds me of they guy who broke my heart..." Makoto muttered as her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed over as she went into her own little world.

Ayame sighed at their reaction. Usagi's was just like the one she had when she first saw Nephrite and Makoto was being her regular boy crazy self when she met about that reminded her of her senpai.

"Hold you're horses, Makoto." Naru said with Ayame joining in.

"He's taken." Ayame said as she walked past the others and headed over to Nephrite along Naru.

Looking up, Nephrite smiled at them before meeting them half way and hugging first Naru and then Ayame along with a quick kiss on the lips.

Looking back at the others, Usagi and Makoto's jaws had dropped and stood there in shock. Poor Ami was blushing and had covered her eyes though she peaked between her fingers.

"What are you doing here, Masato?" Ayame asked.

"I thought since I was done with work and in the area, I would swing by and pick up my little sister and my girlfriend." Masato answered as he mussed up Naru's hair affectionately at the little sister part and held Ayame closer at girlfriend.

"Thank you Masato, that was very sweet of you." Ayame replied as she hugged him again.

"Sister?!" Usagi yelled confused. She never heard of her best friend having such a gorgeous elder brother.

Turning to the others Naru began reintroducing them. "Allow me to introduce everyone. Masato, you already meet Taura." Naru said as both nodded in greeting to each other before Naru continued. "This is Ami Mizuno, the smartest girl in our school. Makoto Kino, the strongest girl in school and a good cook. And Usagi Tsukino, the biggest klutz."

Usagi yelling in protest.

"Everyone, this is Masato Sanjouin. Ayame's boyfriend and my big brother figure. So no, Usagi, by blood we are not related." Naru explained.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm glad Naru and Ayame have so many interesting friends." Nephrite greeted them.

To which the others politely returned. Though, Makoto's wasn't a cheery as the others due to being slightly disappointed he was already taken.

"Shall we get going?" Nephrite asked, addressing Naru, Ayame, and Taura to which they nodded.

Looking at the others, he apologized. "Forgive me. I would offer dropping you all of home, but I'm afraid we all wouldn't fit."

"Oh, ah, thanks okay. We'll be fine." Ami assured him.

"You should all walk home together and hang out some more." Ayame suggested. While it was an unexpected turn of events, it was the prefect opportunity for the three of them to get to know each other and Ayame didn't want it going to waste.

They agreed and saying their farewells Usagi, Ami, and Makoto headed home. Going to the car, Taura, Ayame, Naru, and Nephrite hopped in.

As he started the car, Taura spoke up. "So, why did you came after us and picked us up? And don't just say it was because you couldn't wait to see your girlfriend, either."

Nephrite glanced as her using the rearview mirror before looking back at the road. "Something had been going on near Hiroko's place. She didn't tell me what exactly was going on. She wanted us all together so she could explain and not have to repeat herself and waste time telling the same story. What I do know is that whatever's going on and casing trouble involves her uncle and the graveyard."

"Is he showing any signs of remembering his time as a monster?" Ayame asked.

"No. The problem isn't the uncle. He's been doing fine from what Hiroko did tell me. He is, however, the one that brought whatever is going on to Hiroko's attention."

"Something happening in a graveyard so close to Christmas? What is this? The Nightmare Before Christmas? The Christmas Carol? Don't tell me we have to fight some ghost. Someone, call the Ghostbusters!" Taura joked.

"Could it be a monster?" Naru asked.

"I doubt it. But, there's no real way to be sure unless we look into it ourselves. It's best to be safe just in case." Nephrite answered before changing the subject. "On a lighter note, are you all looking forward to the Christmas party?"

Reminding them of the party they planed to have soon at the mansion. It was going to be a party for all of those from the former Golden Kingdom of Earth. While the Four Kings of Heaven were the hosts, Ayame and the girls would be coming along with Mamoru. The guys having invited him. Even Helios was going to show up. The story for Mamoru was going to be Helios was Kunzite's relative.

Ayame was looking forward to being formally introduced to her brother and being surrounded by her old friends. She was sad she couldn't spend it with the rest of her old family from the Golden Kingdom and her brother didn't even remember her, but she tried to not let it bother her.

She was happy and thankful for the parents she had in this era and happy she was soon going to spend time with Mamoru.

"I'm looking forward to it." Taura answered.

"I'm sure you two are excited. I remember Zoisite telling me he got some mistletoe the other day." Naru teased the couple.

Making them both slightly blush. Before Naru could continue to torment her brother and friend, Nephrite pulled up beside the side walk and parked the car in front of Hiroko's family shop. Piling out of the car, they saw Hiroko come out of the sidedoor of the shop and greet them.

"Hey, guys. Sorry for making you come over unexpectedly, but I'm glad you could come on such short notice. Follow me, the others are already waiting." Hiroko said as she led them through the door and inside.

Ayame sighed in relief at the warm temperature as they walked up the stairs to the home above where Hiroko and her family lived.

"Will we be bothering you parents with all of us here?" Ayame asked.

"No. They're out at the church with uncle." Hiroko answered as they entered and were directed to the dining room where the rest of the Four Kings of Heaven Jadeite, Kunzite, and Zoisite stood leading against the walls or in Jadeite's case, sitting on the table. Nanami and Jing were also there drinking hot chocolate as they waited.

Seeing them enter the others acknowledged them and once everyone was settled down, Hiroko didn't waste a moment to start explaining.

"Thank you all for coming. I'm sorry to do this when we are all busy cleaning up after the Dark Kingdom and getting ready for Christmas, but something has come to my attention and I thought it would be best to inform the rest of you and get your thoughts on the matter." Hiroko said as she leaned on the table.

"What's gotten you all worked up?" Jing asked.

"Is it a ghost~! Whooow~" Nanami joked as she made the sound effects and pretended to be menacing.

"You might be right." Hiroko answered as she sighed, the others shocked as they settled down and grew serious.

"Recently, according to my uncle, weird things have been happening recently in the nearby graveyard at night. It all really started a few nights ago when some idiots got into their heads that it would be a good idea to sneak in late into the graveyard as a test of courage. Daring each to spend the night in there. They saw something and it attacked them. My uncle had heard them screaming and unlocked the graveyard gate to let them out. The guys were alright for the most part, but even Uncle can tell something was going on in there. He could feel it. Others have gone in over the last few days and the same thing happened over and over again. My uncle is worried."

"Do you have any idea what attacked them?" Kunzite asked.

"From the boys own accounts, I do have a basic idea of what attacked them. There's also something my uncle told me that matches the boys description and that happened the same day as these incidents. There is a high possibility of the two stories being connected."

"The same day these incidents occurred, there were three burials. According to uncle, it all began with a beautiful young woman. Previously, Uncle was going to perform the wedding ceremony for her and her fiancé. Whom she was very, very much in love with. When he had meet her to make arrangements and such, Uncle could tell how much she loved her fiancé."

"She had been counting the days until they were to be married. Her fondest dream was that they would always love each other, and live happily ever after with their future children they would have later on."

"Finally, the day arrived whereupon she was to be married. Uncle, himself, was looking forward to it. When the bride arrived to the sound of the wedding march, she looked absolutely radiant, as she stood at the altar, in her white wedding dress. But, the groom wasn't there. Uncle hadn't seen him for an hour or two when he excused himself earlier. Uncle had thought it was the groom being nervous and needing air."

"The bride waited, along with all their family and friends. However, the maid of honor was also missing, who was the bride's sister. As the hours went by, the bride realized what everybody suspected: her husband-to-be had skipped out, and left her standing at the altar!"

"Later, the bride found out why the groom had never showed up, along with her sister... he had fallen in love with her maid of honor and twin sister! The next day, the bride found out they had eloped and were now married!"

"The bride soon found out where they had gone on their honeymoon and withholding this information, told her friends she wanted to go there to get away from it all. They were sorry for her and agreed. That night, according to one of her friends, the bride went to her closet and gotten out her wedding dress. The bride told them she was going to go burn it and wanted to be alone."

"What she really did was that she went down to the hotel's gardening shed, and found a big, sharp axe. She hid it along with her dress and pretended to be her sister. Telling the staff she had lost her key and walked to room thirteen where her sister was. Outside the room, the bride put on her wedding dress. Inside, her sister and her husband were asleep in their bed; they never saw the terrible event coming!"

"The friends had gotten worried and searched for the bride, after talking to the staff, they all opened the door and found her sitting in the rocking chair next to the bodies, rocking herself, and smiling, while she hummed the Wedding March!"

"In her hand was the head of her former fiancé. Then, in horror, they could only watch as she jumped from her chair, and leaped out the window, resulting in her demise!"

"Afterwards, her family had them all transported back home and had the remains buried out in the cemetery. The bride in her wedding dress, as her last wishes on a note her friends found dictated."

"According to the boys, each account they had given, they had been walking through the graveyard when they saw woman dressed in a wedding dress, she rose from the grave, and was wandering around among the headstones, humming the Wedding March, and in her hands, instead of a normal bouquet of flowers, was a human skull with flowers sticking through the eye holes. When she saw the boys, she threw the skull like a bride would sometimes throw her bouquet for single women to catch behind her back. The skull had hit some of the boys and chased after them, biting them and nipping at their heels."

"The bite marks have been confirmed to be humans." Hiroko informed them, finishing the story.

"So this all began with an unfaithful groom. What a creep!" Ayame said.

"The guy did have it coming." Zoisite added.

"Now hold on a minute. I wouldn't rush to judge so fast. We don't know the full details. It takes two to get married. The sister of the bride might have been to blame. She could have tricked the groom like the bride tricked the hotel staff. Though, if the groom had really loved the bride, he should have known it was a trick. The sister was cruel to marry the man her sister was about to marry. Both the groom and the sister are to blame for what happened. Anyway, based on what we know, I would have to agree with you guys."

"No matter who is to blame, that doesn't matter right now. We have a bigger problem." Taura reminded them. "Whoever or what ever it attacking those boys needs to be dealt with."

Turning to the Four Kings of Heaven, Taura addressed her question to them. "Does this story and the description of what the boys claim remind you of any monsters from the Dark Kingdom?"

"None that particularly come to mind. What about you Jadeite? You used the most of your own monsters than the rest of us. Zoisite only used a handful of his own minions, Yasha, Grape, Suzuran, Housenka who almost killed me and the Seven Great Monsters." Nephrite listed. "Kunzite turned humans into monsters to fulfill his schemes and I used a few of my own. Are there any monsters that remind you of this particular case?" Nephrite asked.

"Not really." Jadeite answered with a shake of his head. "Either way, monster of the Dark Kingdom, a real ghost, or some civilian causing trouble, we need to look into the matter. We can't let something like this go unchecked."

"We can't let a monster run amok so close to Christmas!" Taura added. The others nodding their sentiments. Everyone turning to their leader for the final verdict.

"If everyone is in agreement then we must take action. Tonight, we need to go to the cemetery and get to the bottom of this." Ayame declared. "Hiroko. Do you think your uncle will let us in to the cemetery and let us investigate?"

"I think so. With Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite with us, I'm sure he will let us in." Hiroko answered.

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's go!" Jing said as she got up and headed for the door.

"Let's go get that ghost!" Nanami cheered as she followed her friend.

Everyone emitting an amused chuckle or giggle as the piled out of the house and headed to the cemetery.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The night time winter wind nipping at their noses as they slightly huddled together and walked to the church by the cemetery. Few stars could be seen due to the light of the city around them and the moonlight above. Going in to the church, Hiroko went to get permission and came back quickly with the key and a flashlight.

"Uncle gave us permission. He gave me a copy of the key so we can let ourselves in and out. I just have to make sure I return it later." Hiroko informed them.

Leading the way, Hiroko lead them to the gate and unlocked the door. The door creaking as it opened wide for them. Naru held back as the others entered.

"What's up Naru?" Nanami asked.

"You guys go ahead. I'll stay here and make sure no one else enters the cemetery. If there is a monster in there, I won't be able to fight and just get in the way. It's better this way." Naru reminded them.

"Stay safe. We'll be back soon." Nephrite told her as he hugged his sister and headed in.

Hiroko handed Naru the key and after they all entered the graveyard, Naru locked the door behind them.

"Let's go. The grave of the bride, the groom, and the sister are this way." Hiroko said as she lead the way acting as their guide.

As they walked, Ayame glanced around and found the graveyard was pretty much the same as the time when she came there before. The weather, season, and time of day being the only key differences.

As they walked, the graveyard was mostly well kept. The grass hidden under snow and the cover of darkness. Some of the older graves had been taking the test of time and failing. Some of the tombstones tumbled and broken with weather-worn inscriptions. Ayame could make out bouquets of wilting flowers some family members had placed in remembrance for those long gone. There were even some candles lit on some graves. White or gray granite tombstones glowing in the moonlight and light reflected off of the snow.

Except for the sound of the snow crunching under their feet, the graveyard was silent as the...well...grave. They couldn't make out any sounds of the city that surrounded them.

As they walked the graves began to close in on them and the path narrow. Before them, they came to a type of plaza in the graveyard. On their sides, they looked to see nothing but tombstones. In front of them was open space for more graves to be placed. In the center however, were three new graves. Mounds of dirt piled in front of each marker.

There was a couples grave marker with the names Etsuko and Kin Hayashi. The presumed groom and sister of the story they were told earlier. The grave beside their was Katsumi Mori. The betrayed bride and sister.

Gathering around, the others were silent as they observed their surroundings. The world quiet, holding it's breath for something to happen. Anything.

Nanami was the first to break the silence.

"What do we do now? Wait for whatever is out here to show up? What time did whatever is her show up?" She asked Hiroko who just shrugged.

Looking at they guys she addressed the next question to them. "Does anyone sense anything? Like it having the similar energy to one of your monsters?"

Concentrating, the guys said nothing until Kunzite gasped, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"I think I'm beginning to detect something. It's faint and not as strong compared to it, but it's similar to the energy emitted from that Lake Yokai!" Kunzite exclaimed.

"Why is it not as strong?" Jing asked.

"I believe because Katsumi Mori only became a ghost recently. That Lake Yokai had been sealed away for years. Her hate having accumulated over the years of her imprisonment. The bitterness growing stronger as it was bottled up. Katsumi Mori has not been sealed away and in terms of time spent as a ghost is young. She hasn't had the time to let her hate fester so she doesn't possess that much power as the Lake Yokai." Kunzite explained.

"Well, that's nice to know and all, but what are we going to do about it? We don't have all night to battle a ghost no matter how strong or weak it is. Can we even physically hurt a ghost? That Yokai was physical. Even then she could regenerate." Nanami pointed out.

"Like Kunzite said, the ghost isn't as powerful as that Yokai. Even if it was physical, it wouldn't have the power to regenerate due to it being weaker. That ghost still has energy. If we can exhaust it, then we can possibly defeat it." Zoisite commented.

"Then how do we get the ghost attention?" Nanami asked.

"Well, in the case of the Yokai, Dark Endymion broke the seal and unleashed her. But there is no seal here." Kunzite recalled.

"We could call for her, or try to summon her somehow. She keeps attacking men right? Maybe you guys could be bait." Taura suggested, an evil grin on her face.

Making the men look uncomfortable with being bait until Nephrite came up with a joke.

"I offer Zoisite as tribute. He should already be used to being bait." Nephrite joked as he nudged the man. Referring to the time Zoisite had dressed up as Sailor Moon to lure Tuxedo Mask into a trap.

"Hey! Can't you go for one day without insulting me!" Zoisite yelled as he punched his fellow warrior.

"Wait a sec. Couldn't Jadeite touch her? He is a soul after all. He could probably attack her and have no trouble defeating her." Jing asked as they looked at the cat.

"Whoa, whoa, there! Do you have any idea what you are asking here!? I may be a spirit, but I'm not going anywhere near her. I'm still alive. She's a spirit of the dead. We are total opposites. I might get whisked away to the afterlife! Despite looking like a cat, I don't have nine lives. I'm not taking any chances here!" Jadeite rebuked.

"What are you, a scaredy-cat?" Zoisite taunted this time.

"I am not!" The cat yelled back.

"Prove it then." Zoisite tried to provoke him further.

"I see what you're trying to do and I'm not falling for it! I don't have to prove anything to you!" Jadeite yelled.

Before a bigger argument could break out, Ayame shushed them. Looking towards their princess in confusion, Ayame motioned for them to be silent. It was faint at first, but slowly and surly, the distinct tune of the wedding march was being hummed and growing louder and louder. The sound originating from the grave of Katsumi Mori.

Seeing this as their cue, the group nodded to each other as they transformed.

"Gaea Founding Power! Make Up!"

"Zephyrus Power! Make Up!"

"Notus Power! Make Up!"

"Eurus Power! Make Up!"

"Boreus Power! Make Up!"

As the girls transformed, the Four Kings of Heaven transformed into their true uniforms as the knights of Prince Endymion.

By now, the humming had grown louder as the ghost finally appeared. Rising up from her grave like morning mist, the ghost of Katsumi Mori appeared before them.

Floating in the air, the ghost was transparent and lacked color. Her form simply in monochrome. Her hair and eyes were black and her cheeks and lips were a shade of grey which may have been blush and lipstick. Her hair was cut in a short bob cut and Katsumi also wore a shot veil that draped behind her head. Like the story said, Katsumi was wearing a white wedding dress, but it was slightly torn here and there. Presumably from her fall which lead to her death. Her neck was also crooked at an odd angle, which was probably where her neck snapped.

Despite her deathly parlor, Katsumi was a lovely woman.

In her arms, was a human skull, in the eye sockets were flowers. Looking at the flowers, Ayame could make out a few of the flowers. Forget-me-nots representing true love. Lily of the Valley meaning the Promise of Happiness. Tiger Lily for Wealth and Prosperity. Peony for Nobility, Respect and Good Fortune. Tulip for Trust.

It was sad that promises these flowers represented didn't come to pass for the poor bride.

The girls readied themselves for battle, but the ghost's eyes weren't on the girls. Instead, the ghost was solely focused on the men.

Katsumi smiled at them before her face twisted into a look of pure hate and loathing. Turning her back to them, the ghost threw the skull like the bride she was meant to be. Throwing the bouquet and skull behind her back.

The skull had almost hit the men as they backed away from it only for skull to chase after them. Attempting to bite them. Seeing the ghost had thrown her only weapon at the men, the girls rushed forth to attack.

First up was Sailor Eurus. "Harvest Vines." Vines springing forth from the frozen ground reaching for the ghost only to go right through her.

Next came Sailor Boreus, "Crushing Blizzard!" Only for the attack to do the same.

Even with Sailor Notus using Rage Fireworks, Sailor Zephyrus using Gentle Hurricane, and Sailor Gaea using Dawn's Rose, all their attacks did nothing to the ghost.

"Darn it! At this rate we won't be able to defeat her no matter how much we attack!" Sailor Boreus yelled.

"We can't give up yet." Sailor Zephyrus said, before a thought hit her.

Looking back at guys, Sailor Zephyrus noticed the skull was tangible even though it was the same as the ghost. The skull transparent. But if it was the same, then how was it able to attack them? Looking back at Katsumi, the ghost was now sitting on her fiancé's and sister's tomb stone, covering it with her dress. The Ghost still wasn't looking at the girls as she watched the skull continue to torment the guys with sadistic twisted glee.

"The Skull! It's the source of her power! She moved it to the skull to it had to power to attack the material world! If we destroy it, then Katsumi will be weakened," Sailor Zephyrus yelled, the ghost finally turning her attention to the girls as she glared.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'm saving girls like you from sharing my fate! These men must pay before they hurt anyone else!" Katsumi shouted, the skull going berserk as it went after the men with vengeance.

Now that they knew her weakness, Katsumi started running towards the skull, possibly to retrieve it.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jadeite shouted as his cat form transformed into his human form and restrained Katsumi.

"Let me go, you beast! You vile man! Let me go!" Katsumi screamed.

With the ghost distracted, Sailor Eurus restrained the skull "Harvest Vines!" The vines quickly trapping it.

With the skull at last restrained, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite took out their swords and each of them thrusted them down. Breaking the skull beyond repair.

"NO!" Katsumi yelled as her power weakened.

To their surprise, from out of the skull two more ghosts appeared. Both were dressed in night clothes. One was a woman that looked exactly like Katsumi, which they assumed was Etsuko. The other ghost was a man, slightly taller than the twin sisters. He had a mustache and short, neatly combed-back black hair. Lines around their necks from where the ax had severed their heads.

Katsumi had gone limp in Jadeite's hold, seeing she wasn't going anywhere, he let her go. Shivering as he tried to warm up his hands.

Looking around, the ghosts seemed confused until they settled on Katsumi. Taking in the situation, the ghosts politely nodded to the Guardians of Earth. Approaching Katsumi, the married couple drew close to her. Their faces sad and regretful.

"We're sorry, Katsumi. We really are. We're sorry to have caused you so much pain." The couple said.

"We should have explained... Before things went out of control... " Etsuko started.

"Miss Katsumi... I'm afraid you have everything all wrong... I'm not Kin... I'm his twin brother... Gin..." The man now known as Gin explained.

Katsumi and the others gasping at this revelation.

"We meet a long time ago after you had met Kin. We eventually fell in love. I'm sorry I never told you. We were going to surprise everyone with Gin being the best man. Gin was going to propose to me at your wedding party."

"My brother... Your fiancé... On the day of your wedding... he had tried to hurt Etsuko... He had tried to take her by force... I happened to be there and stopped him. I killed my brother. I didn't mean to, but I did. We took the body and disposed of it. I knew I would be accused of murder, even with Etsuko's word to back me up... People would think I forced her...I would be found guilty and go to jail. We eloped. We were planning to tell you, but..." Gin gestured to their necks.

Katsumi gasped as she realized what she had done, tears flowing from her eyes as she hugged her sister and brother-in-law. Begging for their forgiveness. Soon the tears calmed. After the crying had settled down, the three ghosts turned to the others bowing, the three of them thanking them for releasing Gin and Etsuko and helping Katsumi.

With that done, the three shot up into the air and like the Lake Yokai, disappeared into the sky.

"Well, that happened. Who's up for calling it a night and going home to warm beds?" Sailor Gaea asked.

The group letting out a collective assortment of agreement as they transformed back and headed out of the graveyard. Meeting back up with Naru, they locked the gate and all headed home to rest. After all, Christmas Eve was tomorrow.


	2. The Christmas Party

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me. We got it done just in time for Christmas.**_

"So, who's ready to do this?" Ayame asked as she turned to look at each of her four protectors. Sitting in a circle, the five of them gathered together in Ayame's room. Each were sitting on a cushion as they sat ready for the debriefing meeting. Most of them looked pleased, one however was out right scowling with the situation they were now addressing.

Prior to this meeting, that morning, each girl was set on a solo mission. Each had selected their targets at random, one of the girls was less than pleased to receive their particular target, but none the less set out on her mission. Now, hours later they had returned from their mission, most beaming with the success of their mission accomplished.

"Let's get this over with!" Nanami snapped, a scowl etched into her face for the past few hours.

It was unusual to see the normally happy, quirky girl in such a foul mood.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can focus on getting ready for the party." Nanami continued.

"Nanami, please. Calm down. The mission couldn't have been that bad." Jing said, trying to brighten up the atmosphere.

"Whatever! You would be just as mad as me if you had gotten the target I did. We both don't like the target. I still don't see why I couldn't have traded with someone else." Nanami continued to complain as she huffed.

"The targets were selected at random. We all agreed before hand the target you selected would be yours. There was to be no trading, no 'forgetting' to get the item, or pretending to lack funds for the mission. There was no avoiding it. Besides, it's Christmas. It's time to forgive, forget, and be thankful for each other. Time to spend with loved ones and have fun." Hiroko spoke up.

"If you keep that attitude up, Santa won't visit you this year. Or your face might freeze into a permanent scowl." Taura added.

"I've moved on past it. It's best for you to do the same. The target has changed and doesn't even remember the wrongs they commited. There's no need to hold a grudge." Ayame added.

"Hmph! " Nanami huffed, "Yeah, yeah." she stated with as sigh. "Another new year is coming soon, with it a fresh new start. I'm give my forgiveness then and not a second earlier! She better start being nicer to Yuichiro. Otherwise, if I get her name again next year, I'll get her something nasty!" The girl promised.

Seeing that was the best she was going to get from Nanami, Ayame just signed before she coughed, gathering the girls attention.

"Now. It's time. Let's get this meeting started. Report! How goes, our Operation... Secret Santa!" Ayame cheered.

"Yes!" The girls cheered, some with less enthusiasm than the others, but it was okay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The whole thing had started a few days back when they were planing the Christmas party. Ayame had felt slightly bad that they couldn't invite Usagi and her team. Sure, there was progress on the friendship front, but it was too soon to invite them to the party.

To make up for it, Taura had suggested they played Secret Santa for the girls. They had drawn names from a hat and each girl had gone out to get a present for the 'target'. Later, they would have Jadeite deliver them without being found out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Starting off with Jing. What did you get Minako?" Ayame asked the girl sitting to her right.

"Well, Minako was born in October. So I bought her a bouquet of her birth flowers, the Dahlia. I would have given her a Chinese Knot, but I thought that might be too suspicious. Besides that, I heard from Kunzite that Sailor V liked a TV idol called Phantom Ace, Ace Saijyo. So I bought a plush toy." Jing explained as she showed what she had bought. The plush toy was already wrapped in a Christmas themed Sailor V wrapping paper.

Ayame nodded, before turning to the next girl, Nanami.

Grumbling a bit, Nanami answered. "I got her some flowers. Casablanca lilies. I thought they suited her somehow. When she's not yelling at someone."

Ayame had been slightly worried about what Nanami would get Rei, but she was happy Nanami had gotten something lovely for her. The next girl in the circle was Hiroko.

"Makoto wasn't that hard to buy for. Everyone knows she's a good cook, so I got her some cookie cutters for next year." Hiroko explained as she pulled out a box with green wrapping paper and pink ribbons.

Then, it was Taura's turn.

"I really don't know Ami that well, so shopping was a little difficult. But I think she will like it. It's a comprehensive English-Japanese dictonary. I thought it might help with her studies." Taura explained as she held up a box with light blue wrapping and green ribbons.

"Great work everyone. I got Usagi a Sailor V, Sailor Moon, and a Tuxedo Mask plush toy." Ayame explained as she held up a box with pink wrapping paper. Over it was Sailor Moon.

As the girls each talked about the wrapping, their chatter was interrupted by a loud groan.

Looking at Ayame's bedroom window, Jadeite looked miserable.

"What's wrong, Jadeite?" Hiroko asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Have you forgotten? I'm the one who has to deliver all those gifts." The furry feline bemoaned his sorry fate.

"Can't you change into your human form?" Jing asked.

"You don't have to be a cat to deliver the presents. You can carry the presents easier that way." Hiroko pointed out.

"Maybe..." The cat spirit continued to grumble.

"Come on, Jadeite. Where's your Christmas spirit?" Ayame asked as she rubbed his head and scratched behind his ears. Making Jadeite slowly relax and begin to purr.

"It's out in the snow, where I'll be in a few hours, dropping off those presents." Jadeite answered, trying to sound grouchy while he was purring.

The girls couldn't help laughing at this before Ayame checked the time.

"It's time. We don't want to keep the others waiting." Ayame said as she stood up from her seat.

With affirmative nods, the girls stood up and gathered their things. Coats, gloves, and other items to keep them warm until they got inside the mansion. They luckily didn't have to take any presents with them, having already sent them to the mansion for the party.

With a sigh, Jadeite gathered the five presents for the former Sailor Guardians and headed out the window, off to deliver the presents.

After the girls headed down the stairs, Ayame and the girls said bye to Mr. and Mrs. Mascari for now and headed down the street to the Four Kings of Heaven's mansion.

Jing, Hiroko, Taura, and Nanami chattering away as they grew excited about the party. Nanami was in a better mood now that she had finished with the Secret Santa.

Ayame was silent as she walked slightly ahead of the group. She wasn't sure if it was a force of habit from her previous life that caused this or the building excitement within her.

Besides the Sailor Guardians of Earth attending the party, the Four Kings of Heaven, Naru, Helios, and her brother were also attending. They had invited Ryo and Kijin to attend, but the fortune teller was out of town again and Kijin had previous plans set up with his family and couldn't make it. He did however, send Jing her present before hand and they planned to open it with all the other presents they had.

Walking up the driveway, the girls were amazed at the scenery. The snow blanketing ground and trees. Sparkling in the light of the sunset as it bathed the world in hues of red, orange, and gold. The snow had already been cleared from the driveway so it was an easy walk to the mansion.

Ayame couldn't help but smile was she approached the Gothic style architecture of the three story mansion that was surround by the evergreen pines. The guys had spared no expense for their first Christmas together in this new era. The house decorated with Christmas lights and on the front lawn was snowmen. There were red Poinsettia's along the porch and up on the balcony that acted as a roof over the porch. A large wreath with Christmas lights surrounded the round window that was above the balcony. Beside the front door on the left and right were small Christmas trees which glowed with twinkling light.

Parked out front were three Ferrari Testarossa 512 TR Models. One was red, which Ayame knew to be Naphrite's, and the other two were black and yellow. Ayame assumed the black was Kunzite's and the yellow was Zoisite's.

There was another car that was different from the other three. A red Alfa Romeo SZ. Ayame wasn't sure who it belonged to, but it was cool none the less.

Walking up to the door, Jing rung the bell for them. The sound reminiscent of gothic church bells as it echoed into the mansion.

As they waited for someone to answer, Nanami could help but make a joke. "Hey, Ayame. I know your boyfriend was evil and all, but isn't this a little bit cliché?"

Chuckling, Ayame shrugged as the door opened to reveal Zoisite. He was dressed in a Christmas elf costume with a green jacket lined with white fur and a belt. Red pants that reached to his knees before red and white socks covered the rest of his legs. He wore black shoes that curled into points. On top of his head was a green hat that matched his jacket with the same white fur lining it. At the end was a bell that jingled as he moved.

"Hello, miladies. Come on in. We're almost ready. All we need now is for the other guest to arrive." Zoisite informed them as the girls were let in.

Inside, the mansion no longer held it's dark stone interior it once had when evil had plagued it's halls. However, it still had a Gothic theme as the outside of the house as they entered the foyer. Rich carpets covering black tiled floors that gleamed with the light making it look with the night sky with a few lingering stars about. On the left and right were doors leading to more rooms of the house. Directly ahead of them was a set of double doors with two staircases leading to the second floor flanking it. The staircase was made from dark wood and decorated in red ribbon and long lines of greenery and lights. A golden chandelier hanging above. On the second floor, there was the landing before a third set of staircases appeared, decorated in the same fashion at those before it.

Coming from the second floor, the girls could barely make out the sound of Christmas music.

Following Zoisite up the stairs, he lead them to another set of double doors and threw them open. In the room that once housed the celestial globe had been transformed into a ballroom, decorated for the Christmas party they were throwing that night. The room brighter than it had ever been before. The windows decorated slightly and had candles glowing brightly. The tree stretching high up to the ceiling, covered in ornaments, lights, and tinsel. Underneath the tree, there were presents piled up in festive wrapping and ribbons and bows. Over to the side was a few tables covered in white and gold cloth. Piled high with food and decorations.

From where she stood, Ayame could see the guys had gone out of their way to gather Christmas dishes from Italy, China, and Australia besides those found in Japan.

Seeing the dishes that were present, it reminded her of the last time she was in Italy to celebrate Christmas with her grandparents there. She remembered how their Christmas Eve dinners were usually light with no meat. Usually with lots of seafood. They would have sword fish, tuna, salmon, octopus salad, smelts, calamari, spaghetti with clam sauce, and the classic salted cod, known as baccalà.

Other dishes varied by region, but Ayame loved the sweet treats her grandmother would make. On the tables, while Ayame didn't some of the dishes she was use to, could see a lot of desserts she recognized.

Among them was Semifreddo, which was a semi-frozen sweet layered fruit loaf and ice cream dessert with candied fruit running through the loaf. Hazelnut Chocolate Cake which came from northern Italy, was crammed full of sweet hazelnuts. There was Tiramisu with yogert, ricotta, and candied capers. Along with Mini Panttone, a Italian Christmas treat laced with fruit, citrus and cognac. When they were miniature size like they were them, they maked for a great sweet party favor or holiday gift. Bacio di Pantelleria, or Sicilian Ricotta Fritter as they were called at times, were yummy fritters that are filled with fresh ricotta, which was naturally sweet and creamy. Then there was Struffoli, a sweet dough that was fried until it was crispy and then coated with honey and sprinkles.

In all honestly, Ayame couldn't wait to dig in.

Near the tree, the guys had kept Nephrite's old throne and had decorated it with holly and more poinsettias. Sitting down in it was Kunzite. The man dressed up in a Santa outfit.

Standing beside him, Nephrite wore an outfit that reminded her of a version of Jack Frost. He wore dark grey colored house-shoes with gold thread placed and white fur lining the inside. His pants were a lighter color than the shoes which Ayame saw were more blueish than the shoes. On the pants were snowflake designs. He wore a long sleeved cashmere sweater with alternating light blue and dark blue diamonds on it. The collar rounded showing off his collar bones and showing a lighter white part peaking out of the collar and the bottom part of the sweater. Over this he wore a light jacket that began as white at the top and grew darker shades of blue and snowflakes fell down along with it. The buttons being sliver snowflakes as well with more golden thread at the bottom creating whirlwinds. Attached to the side was a holly shaped pin with a red tassel. Around his neck was a golden pendant with a blue stone in the center.

Beside him, Naru wore a green dress, around her waist was a white sash with holly on it. She wore white stockings with green and red stripes on it. In her hair, Naru had exchanged her usual ribbon for more Christmas green ribbon with bells attached.

Turning at the sound of the door, the three of them smiled as the girls entered.

"Welcome!" Kunzite said as he stood up to greet them.

Walking in, the girls were awed at the fruit of the men's hard work.

"You guys have outdone yourselves!" Hiroko praised them.

"Thanks. We wanted it to be special. To celebrate not only this important holiday, but also celebrate the true end of the Dark Kingdom. We've finally cleared the base in the D point of the Arctic Circle and after scouring the globe, we have finished off all other smaller bases and organizations. It is truly over." Kunzite informed them.

Everyone cheering in celebration. Ayame didn't hesitate to embrace her lover as he held her and swung her around.

"There's still time until Helios and Mamoru are suppose to arrive, until then, help yourselves to the food." Nephrite said to the others, to which the girls didn't hesitate to head over and pick up a plate to put food on.

Ignoring the food for the moment, Ayame turned to her Nephrite and hugged him. The two happy to just be in the other presence.

Zoisite and Kunzite watched the scene, happy for the couple.

"Finally, after everything that has happened, those two can focus on being a real couple. No more hiding like they did in our past." Zoisite spoke.

"It is heart warming. It's only a matter of time until everything falls into place. Once the prince remembers." Kunzite replied.

This made the younger of the two frown as he turned to his mentor. "Why can't we just return his memories? Jadeite implanted fake ones into Naru to protect her. Surely we can undo whatever seal has been placed on the prince's memories?"

Kunzite crossed his arms and shook his head. "It isn't that simple. Memories are a fragile thing and the seal was created by the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal after all. We don't know what would happen if we messed with it. Sailor Moon might have placed certain conditions in which must be met before he can remember. Forcing it might do more harm than good."

"How so?" Zoisite asked.

"You also have to remember that it was the power of Earth that Jadeite used to implant those memories. The power of Earth and the power of the Moon are different and not always compatible with one another. Denizens of Earth and Denizens of the Moon have different energies within them. That is one of the reason's denizens of the Moon had longer lives. While both people were similar in form and energy, both were different just enough to have some difficulties of not always mixing together smoothly."

"Let's say for example, Luna tried to force the Sailor Guardians memories to resurface. It would probably be easy since she is a former native from the Moon and has been bestowed some power from it. If Luna was releasing the seal on one of the Sailor Guardians, it would be the power of the Moon aiding the power of the Moon. The energy within them would resonate, aiding Luna's power, and work together to break the seal which would be acceptable of their energy. How easy it would be to break it would then entirely depend on the conditions and strength of the seal itself."

"But like I said, both powers are different and not always compatible. Naru is a denizen of Earth. If she still had those fake memories and Luna tried to undo it, then it might do more harm than good. The opposing forces, Luna's energy and Naru's energy along with the Earth seal, clashing. However, if it had been Jadeite's doing, creating a seal with the power of Earth, it would be the same thing as Luna breaking it with one of the Sailor Guardians. Easy depending on the strength of the seal and it's conditions."

"People of Earth are more acceptable to the power of Earth and people of the Moon are more acceptable to the power of the Moon. It's like certain foods of a culture. You can still eat it, but your body at times simply isn't used to it. Your body might outright reject it. That is how Sailor Moon could heal people without harming them. They were able to digest it better and their bodies didn't reject it."

"Then you have the Dark Kingdom, they could absorb human energy easy and subsequently less concentrated energy of Earth. They could not however accept the power of the Silver Crystal. Which is why Sailor Moon and her Guardians were able to blow them away. The Dark Kingdom's power to dark and the crystal's too rich in terms of food. Some beings are able to absorb some things easier than others. Sometimes they need something else to help them do it first. For the Dark Kingdom, it would have to be converted first by Metalia who was stronger than most monsters and able to process it. Then given to her underlings since she was the original source of their power. But even she had her limits."

"The prince however, has a stronger connection with Earth than most normal humans and even us, the Four Kings of Heaven. That's why it took a while to fully brainwash him the first time. If he had been at full strength and not injured, it might have taken more time. The second time was even longer due to the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal within him from the healing."

"When he was Dark Endymion and underwent healing, it was slightly painful for him due to the three dueling forces. His own, the Dark Kingdom, and the Legendary Silver Crystal. His body recognized the Silver Crystal more than the negative energy and helping to fight it off along side with the crystals. For us, Sailor Gaea healed us and even though we had long adapted to the negative energy, there were still traces of Earth's energy in us. With both energies that were compatible, it was easy to overthrow the negative energy."

"Mamoru's body has adapted slightly to be more acceptable of the Legendary Silver Crystal's power. Thus has taken to the seal pretty well and it hasn't caused him any problems. If we tried to mess with the seal, his body might see our energy as an invader. Even if it is the energy of Earth. Sort of like switching back to the diet of our original culture. You would have to adapt to it again."

"Or a better analogy in this case, one could compare it to white blood cells and a virus. The power of the Moon is something he has grown used to and adapted. His body might see any power of Earth we tried whether it be Ayame's or Jadeite's as attacking a part of him, the power of the Moon and the seal, and his energy would aid in fighting it off the power of Earth which isn't as familiar to him as it once was. Even if Luna tried to undo the seal it might be the same thing or simply not strong enough.

"From what we have observed, his is significantly stronger than the others. Even the Sailor Guardians showed some familiarity with each other when they interacted. Mamoru hasn't shown even the slightest hints of remembering, even with the amount of time we have spent with him. The seal seems quite stronger than the others. Sailor Moon, if she remembered, could try with the Crystal but she is still inexperienced and could cause damage to his memories.

"It's been messed with a lot. Considering the accident he had as a child, remembering the first time, his memories hidden by Beryl, forced to remember with the power of the Crystal, hidden by Beryl again, remembering, and now under a seal. It's honestly amazing he doesn't have any permanent damage from it all."

"In the grand scheme of things, it is better to not mess with it. Perhaps, time will tell if Mamoru will get his memories back. Until then, we must be patient and aid the princess and the prince in any way we can. Do you understand now?" Kunzite asked his protégé.

"I think so." Zoisite answered, still a little unsure as he tried to take in all the information given to him.

Soon they all heard the sound of hoof beats on the roof and the neighs of a horse.

Looking up at the roof as the noise died away, Nephrite spoke as he placed his plate down and headed towards the door. "That must be Helios. I'll go and greet him."

"Wait for me." Ayame said as she rushed to join him, the man pausing long enough for her to catch up and opened the door for her.

Leading the way, Nephrite headed towards the balcony he had a drink when the mood suited him. The sounds of the party growing quieter.

Once there, the couple saw an alicorn and what appeared to be a young boy they already knew. The white horse possessing large wings and a large golden horn on its head, along with a red tear-drop shaped jewel on his forehead and orange eyes. His main and tail both were a pale blue. Unlike the last time Ayame had seen it, the alicorn wore a bridle, but to her surprise, the owner rode bareback.

This creature being the source of the hoof beats on the roof and the neighs they had heard.

Dismounting from the horse, the young boy, their old friend Helios had joined them for Christmas. Even though he appeared to be twelve or thirteen, the Princess of Earth and the members of the Four Kings of Heaven knew he was over hundreds of years old.

He was the same the last time Ayame had seen him in Elysion. With his whitish-light-blue hair and teardrop-shaped jewel on his forehead and his orange eyes. He was dressed in his priest attire. The same white robes with five yellow and blue tassels on the front forming a V. The tips of his sleeves along the edges of his skirt-thingy that parted to show white pants were blue with a long belt used to hold it in place. The shoulders and neck of his robes were a transparent material the color turquoise. Wearing silver earrings shaped like a rhombus while around his neck was two thin silver rings with a small gold pendant on the bottom ring. He wore his white boots too.

"Helios, it's wonderful to see you again. I'm glad you could make it to the party." Ayame greeted him.

"It's my pleasure, your Highness. I'm honored you invited me to be here." Helios replied as he keeled before the princess.

Ayame chuckled at his behavior before she reached out to him and helped him up.

"There's no need for formalities anymore, Helios. I'm no longer a princess in this era." Ayame told him.

"While that may be the case milady, old habits die hard. To me, you will always be my princess that I will willingly serve and follow until the end of my days." Helios answered before Nephrite walked over and mussed up the boy's hair. Much to Helios's displeasure as he tried move away.

"Save your flattery priest. The one who is suppose to flatter her always is me." Nephrite lightly chasized.

Chuckling as he attempted to more his hair back into place, he couldn't help but ask an important question."Has the prince arrived yet?"

"Not yet, which is a good thing. You have to remember that Mamoru doesn't have his memories back. He might not be use to seeing your steed or your attire." Nephrite pointed out.

"Oh, right." Helios repiled, slightly embarrassed to have not noticed before. Turning to his steed he said, "Pegasus. Return to Elysian for now. I will call you when I am ready to return."

The creature nodded and after nuzzling his master's face, neighed and with a flap of his wings, flew off into the ever approaching night. With a flash of gold, the horse was gone.

Once he had seen that his horse was out of sight, Helios looked down at his attire. Taking a moment of consideration, Helios clasped his hands together as if praying.

Soon, Helios's form changed, his clothing began to glow a golden color as they transformed into something less conspicuous. After the transformation was complete the glow faded and Ayame could see what the boy was wearing. His clothing now a simple knitted white sweater with blue along the cuffs of his sleeves and neckline. He kept the little tassels on his sweater, the only difference being they were in a straight line and there were more of them, going completely around the sweater, forming a circle. His necklace was gone along with his skirt like thingy, but he kept the white pants and boots. The gem on his forehead hidden by his hair.

Turning back to them, Helios smiled. "Shall we?"

Nodding, Nephrite lead them back towards the ballroom, the music getting louder as they walked.

"...You remember what we talked about right? When you are introduced to Mamoru, you remember the story we'll tell him?" Ayame asked growing serious.

Helios was silent for a moment before answering. "I remember. The story is that I am Kunzite's, Teiso's, nephew. My name is Haruto. I came to visit my uncle for the holidays and he has told me a lot about Mamoru."

Ayame nodded as she began fidgeting slightly.

Noticing this, Helios spoke up. "You're nervous, Milady?"

To which, Ayame couldn't help but sigh. "Extremely. Before this... Before any of us had gotten our memories back, I had only interacted with Mamoru a handful of times. Be it as Ayame or Sailor Gaea. Our time together was even more brief when we both remembered who we were. Him being taken by the enemy shortly after we met and brainwashed into forgetting me. The time we met as Ayame and civilian form of Dark Endymion was nothing to write home about either. When he remembered again, that time I had leave to aid Sailor Moon against Beryl. I met him the other day with Naru and Usagi, but we didn't talk much then. I can't help but be nervous about it all. In the past, my brother and I were close. Today will be the first time we're officially introduced to each other. Now, I fear I know nothing about him." Ayame confessed.

Helios smiled at her as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before answering. "It's alright to be nervous. I am as well. However, you have worked hard for this moment. Do not fear it. Embrace it. Remember to relax and have fun."

Ayame took the priest words into consideration before breaking out into a smile and nodding. "Thank you, Helios. For your guidance and words of wisdom."

To which the boy chuckled. "It is part of my duties."

"Don't worry, Ayame." Nephrite spoke as he turned around to face them. "I'll be there with you every step of the way and the others will be there to back you up. There's still time until he arrives so have fun and try to relax."

Ayame beamed at their encouragement and nodded. "Thanks."

When the trio entered the ballroom again, the party was well underway. The music filling the air along with chatter and laughter.

Looking up as the door opened, everyone greeted the priest. As Ayame watched, she noted that she had hardly seen Helios as happy as he did now. The girls gathering around to greet him and showering him in hugs. It reminded her so much of the past when they visited the priest when he wasn't busy or during major celebrations.

As she watched them, Ayame couldn't help but wonder if he had been lonely throughout the years. Even if he was over hundreds of years old, and very mature, he still was deep down a teenager. Physically and mentally he was still younger than the rest of them. Now, he finally was able to see his friends again, and they remembered him. They were not treating him like a high priest, but as the young boy he was and their friend.

In the past, they couldn't always act like this. Ayame was a princess and had to act as such almost all the time. The same thing applied to Helios. He was the youngest priest ever and there were high expectations placed on him. Surrounded by adults, he had to grow up and mature quickly.

This was probably refreshing breeze through his heart.

She was brought out of her musing when she noticed a plate in front of her face. Looking beside her, Nephrite smiled as he held out the plate for her to take, happy she was finally out of thoughts.

"Welcome back to Earth, your highness. Mind sharing your findings of outer space?"

"Sorry, Nephrite. Thanks for the food. I was just thinking how things are so different from how they were in the past." Ayame answered as she took the plate and started munching on some cookies. "Seeing the others act their age, or at least their physical age is refreshing. I can't thank Queen Serenity enough for this opportunity to be surrounded by the people I care about."

Taking a bit of a cookie, part of it was still sticking out of her mouth, seeing this Nephrite smirked as he tilled her head up, closed in and bit the other end. Ayame blushed at this before Nephrite bit his part off and backed off.

"Me-meanie!" Ayame stuttered.

To which Nephrite couldn't help but laugh. At the sound, Ayame couldn't help but laugh right along and the two enjoyed their food. As the party continued, everyone was having fun, yet each of them were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the prince.

Nearly all sound, except for the music, stopped at the sound of the doorbell being rung. Everyone knew who it was. Rushing to the door, Zoisite headed down to let the prince in.

Ayame could feel her nerves and dread creep back into her system. Wringing her hands until another warm hand touched hers. The larger, hands bringing hers forward until see looked to see Nephrite bring them to his lips and kiss them.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Mamoru will love meeting you and getting to know you. I certainly did." Nephrite assured her.

Soon, Zoisite returned with not only Mamoru in tow but also Jadeite. The feline having already delivered the presents and Mamoru carrying the cat in. Now, he was wearing a head band with reindeer antlers. Completing the theme the Four Kings of Heaven had that year.

As for Mamoru, he was wearing the same old black turtleneck and purple pleated pants. This time, he wore a heavier coat due to the chilly weather.

"Welcome!" Everyone cheered as the three entered, slightly startling Mamoru at the warm greeting he received.

"Mamoru! Glad you you could make it." Nephrite said as he moved to greet the prince, Ayame quickly following with Naru hot on her heels.

Kunzite following along with Helios and the rest of the girls. Each waiting to be formally introduced.

Turning to Zoisite, Mamoru spoke. "I know you guys said I should expect a warm welcome and all, but this is a bit much don't you think, Chiyu?"

"Not at all." Zoisite replied with a smile.

"Mamoru," Nephrite greeted him. "There's two people here I want you to meet. Mamoru, this is my girlfriend Ayame Mascari. Beside her is is Naru Osaka. She's like a little sister to me." He introduced. "Ayame, Naru, this is Mamoru Chiba. He works at one of the studios Teiso owns."

Stepping forward, Ayame smiled as she greeted her brother. "We meet again. Sorry I didn't introduced myself back then. To think we would meet again here. When Masato said he would introduce me and the girls to a friends of his, I didn't think it would be you. It really is a small world."

"Nice to meet again too, Ayame. This is a nice surprise." Mamoru said as he looked at the other girls. "I don't see Miss Bun-head here though. Could she not make it?"

The comment darkened Ayame's mood, though she tried to hide it. The others grimacing at Mamoru unknowingly touching a sensitive subject.

'Even without his memories, he is drawn to her. It's always about Usagi. It's always about Serenity. I'M YOUR SISTER, DARN IT! FOR ONCE!? JUST ONCE, CAN YOU FOCUS ON ME! I KNOW SHE'S THE LOVE OF YOUR LIVE, BUT FAMILY IS IMPORTANT TOO!' Ayame thought.

"Something like that." Ayame replied, hiding her emotions behind a smile. 'Ah, just like the good old days.'

Luckily, before the situation could get awkward, Naru stepped in. "It's nice to see you again. You may not remember me, since we've never spoken before, but I was there too the other day. Let me introduce you to the rest of the girls. The girls are as follows: Hiroko Hara, Jing Lin, Nanami Kojima, and Taura Cox."

"Hello!" The girls greeted.

"And my nephew, Haurto." Kunzite added.

"Nice to meet you all." Mamoru greeted them. Each one returning one in kind.

"Now that the last guest had arrived it's time to open presents! Mamoru! You're first!" Kunzite ordered. Everyone else scattering and rushing to pull up a chair near the tree where all the presents had been placed.

"Huh? Why me?" Mamoru asked, shocked he was to go first and watching the bustle of activity around him.

"Because, I'm your boss and I say so!" Kunzite replied jokingly.

Mamoru sighed as he complied with it, releasing Jadeite and pulling up his own chair. He watched as the Zoisite handed the presents for him to the others as he pulled them out from under the tree. Being Santa's little helper.

"Why are there so many?" Mamoru asked as presents were passed over to him.

"Any friend of the guys is a friend of ours. They've spoken so much and so highly of you, it feels like we've known you for years. So we each got you something." Ayame explained.

"Wow. Thanks so much. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything." Mamoru replied.

"It's okay. We did catch you off guard. Besides, getting to meet you is a present in onto itself." Jing assured him. "Now go on and open them up!"

Nodding, Mamoru started opening the first box. It was one of the smallest and as he opened it and removed the wrapping paper, he pulled out a car key much to his surprise.

"You saw the a red Alfa Romeo SZ in the driveway earlier right?" Kunzite asked. "That's now yours. That's the key to it."

"What?! Teiso! You bought me a car!? That's too much! I can't accept this." Mamoru protested.

"Think of it as your Christmas Bonus. Everyone needs to be spoiled every once in a while. Please accept it. It'll be better than walking everywhere in the cold." Kunzite replied.

Reluctantly nodding, Mamoru placed the key in his pocket as he opened the rest of his presents. From Helios, he got a handmade dream catcher. Which was quite funny from the girls point of view, seeing Helios was a guardian of dreams. From Zoisite, he received a rose bush. Another gift with an inside joke attached. From Nephrite, he received a pair of ice skates. Then came Jadeite's present which was a book on Future analysis of genetic engineering.

They had to think quickly to explain why a cat had given him such a book, why a cat would give him anything for that matter. To which they told him Jadeite was like a member of the family and they picked it out for Jadeite so he wouldn't feel excluded from the activities.

After that, came the girls presents for him. From Jing, he got a handmade Chinese decorative knot. It was red in a lanyard type arrangement with two cords from the top of the knot and two cords leave from the bottom. The knot double-layered and perfectly symmetrical. After that, came more gifts Mamoru didn't know the hidden meaning behind. From Nanami, she had gotten a cup and saucer in the shape of a top hat. From Hiroko, a music box identical to the one Princess Serenity had given him all those years ago.

When he had wound the music box up, everyone waited with baited breath for a reaction, anything to show it was familiar to him. Yet, nothing happened. Ayame had be sorely wishing for some type of reaction, even if she wasn't the case of it. She just wanted her brother back.

Moving on, Taura gave him a short saber. Ayame had previously asked why she had gotten Mamoru that of all things, her reasoning being Tuxedo Mask would have been cooler with a sword.

After that, Naru's present was opened to reveal a pair of purple house shoes with the mask of Tuxedo Mask on them.

The final gift was from Ayame. Mamoru received a white mug with the words 'World's Dumbest Idiot' on it. Ayame thought it was a fitting gift and if or when Mamoru remembered, he would probably agree.

Next, they all agreed to have Kunzite, or Teiso, open his presents next.

Like Mamoru before him, Jing gave him a Chinese decorative knot and Helios, or Haruto, gave him a dream catcher.

From the guys, Mamoru gave his boss ceramic white coffee mug with the words 'BEST. BOSS. EVER.' With a number one on the bottom so when Kunzite took a sip, others would see it. Nephrite gave him another mug, this one was also white with little tear drops on it and the words 'THESE ARE THE TEARS OF MY STAFF' on it. Zoisite went for a different approach, seeing Kunzite was his mentor, giving the CEO a Newtons Cradle for his desk.

Next was Jadeite's gift, which was a fake old time-y aristocrat monocle. The type a classy villain would sometimes wear. Eluding to the generals former time as a villain, which they all got a laugh out of it. Kunzite finding it funny himself. Mamoru thought it was funny since some of his employees joked about Teiso being a villain sometimes.

For the girls, Naru gave him a black necktie that had the instructions printed on the front. Ayame gave him a new name plate for his desk. Nanami gave him a picture she had drawn of him on his Knight form. Taura got him a pair of boomerangs strait from the outback. Hiroko gave him a pocket watch with the symbol of Earth on top of it.

After Kunzite's presents, it was Zoisite's turn to receive them. From his mentor, Zoisite was given a wooden badge that said 'Medal of Honor Noticed By Senpai' which every got a laugh out of. Mamoru had given him a bunch of socks. From Nephrite, it was a plastic bag with a ball of yarn with googly eyes in it. Stapled to it was a note saying 'I'm a little fit. I am here to help you. So please don't despair. When you temper's flaring. Or when you need a breath of air. Or when your blood pressure's rising and you're as mad as you can get. Go ahead – just pick me up...And throw a little FIT!'

Nephrite had enjoyed that, even if it was thrown at him and Kunzite and Mamoru had to restrain Zoisite from trying to pummel him.

After things calmed down, Jadeite had gotten Zoisite a mug that looked as if it been crumpled up and had stress cracks over it. The saying on it, 'I flunked anger management.' Then came Helios, with another dream catcher.

From the girls, the taunting wasn't quite over with yet. Hiroko had bought him a pet rat and cage. Remembering the time they were after the Rainbow Crystals and he had rats crawling all over him. Taura bought moisturizer for his face. Saying it was because he was a Narcissus. Which brought up another argument which eventually calmed down.

Ayame gave him the flower seeds she had bought previously. Nanami gave him a picture of himself in his knight form. Naru got him a practice music book for the Piano. The girl recalling Zoisite was a great pianist. Jing gave him a Chinese Knot.

Nephrite opened his presents next, Mamoru giving him a meteorite pendant necklace. A dream catcher from Helios, a set of sheets with constellations on them from Kunzite, Jadite gave him a pair of paper 'love at first sight' eye glasses as a joke, along with Zoisite's gift of a book titled 'The Shameless Liars Guide'. Eluding to the lies he once told Ayame and Naru.

Naru gave him a mug with 'World's Best Big Brother' on it and a golden trophies. Nanami gave him like the others before him a picture of himself in his knight form. A Chinese knot from Jing, a pair of cuff links shaped like space shuttles from Taura, and an antique designed Tibetan Singing bowl set with mallet and silk cushion for meditation from Hiroko.

The last gift he opened was Ayame's. The photo album she bought for him.

"It's our first Christmas together." Ayame explained. "I wanted us to fill it with new memories and one day looking back and seeing what all we accomplished."

Looking up, Nephrite smiled, got up and hugged her before kissing her forehead and thanked her for the thoughtful present.

After that, they decided to do Jadite's presents. Mamoru didn't get him anything unfortunatly. Seeing Jadeite as, well, a cat. That year, nearly everyone had decided to pick on the little feline. Kunzite had gotten him a litter box, Zoisite had gotten him a cat Tuxedo collar in honor of their prince, and Nephrite had gotten him a 'Control A Cat Remote'. Helios was nice and got him a dream catcher like he had gotten the others.

Ayame's gift was nicer, being a coffee mug with a blue cat reading a book titled 'World Domination for Cats'. But even Jing was mean to Jadeite, giving him a cat sleeping bed. Nanami had gotten him two presents, a picture of him in his human form as a knight and a cat food bowl. Hiroko got him a scratching post, Taura bought a fly by spinner interactive cat toy, and Naru got him some windup mice.

By the end of it, Jadeite was sulking in the cat bed he had gotten as they forced him to wear the tuxedo collar. Ayame could see how mad he was from being the butt of everyone's joke. Even her gift to him was slightly mean. She had gotten it because he was a cat and he had been part of a group after world domination. Though she did feel a little guilty she couldn't help but find the whole situation hilarious.

The poor feline couldn't even say anything due to her brother being there and he didn't remember anything.

Then, it was Ayame's turn. Taura got her a color wheel pendant. From Naru was a Sailor Gaea plush. Nanami gave her a picture of herself as Princess Iris, in the picture was a mirror and reflected back at the princess was Sailor Gaea. A Chinese Knot from Jing, and Hiroko gave her a mug saying, 'Gosh, being a princess is exhausting'. Which, Ayame had to agree.

Helios gave her a dream catcher, Zoisite a pedestal jewelry holder, Jadeite gave her a plywood puzzle made to look like a geode, and Kunzite gave her a candle with a hidden crystal inside it.

Then, Nephrite gave her his present. A Zodiac Constellation Cuff.

"Some say your character is written in the stars. When it comes to your style, we say it's all in the wrist. Celebrate your sign of the Zodiac with bands of Sterling silver constellation. Hand casts celestial connect-the-dots in the cuff, with the brightest point of each shown as larger, five-pointed stars." Nephrite had explained.

Out of all her presents, that was her favorite.

Next, they handed over the presents for Helios, or Haruto, so he could have his turn. From Kunzite, he was given a set of prayer beads with the symbol of Earth on the end. From Zoisite, he was given a rose bush, similar to the one Mamoru had been given. Something to brighten up back home, Zoisite had said. To which the priest thanked him for it and would plant it as soon as he was able. Nephrite had presented him with a miniature Zen Garden contained in a 9 by 9 inch rosewood frame. Complete with a tiny bamboo rake, a broom, two tiny ceramic cranes, and assorted polished stones. Jadeite had purchased dual-purpose Mini Copper Incense Cone stick burner with a holder plate for meditation.

From the girls, Taura had given him a dagger with a Pegasus on it. She knew Helios wasn't a fighter, so she said it was just for decoration. Ayame had gotten him a snow globe with a miniature Earth inside. A bit of clear plastic holding it suspended in 'inner space'. Ayame wasn't the only one with snow globes when Hiroko gave him one with an Alicorn inside. Jing gave him a Chinese knot. From Nanami he received a picture of all of them together as they were in their past lives. It nearly made the boy cry, but what really did it for him was when Naru presented him with his own communicator to talk to them whenever he wished.

Once Helios calmed down, they decided it was Jing's turn. Ayame was the first to give her a present, giving her the music box. From Nanami was a picture of her as Sailor Zephyrus. Hiroko gave her a heat pillow that smelled of lavender. Taura gave her a stainless steel Mandala wind spinner. Naru gave her a snow globe with a translucent Buddha inside.

From the boys, Jadeite gave her a acupressure mat and pillow set and Kunzite presented a Chinese style Buddhist Meditation sophisticated lotus cone incense burner holder. Nephrite had gotten her a Woodstock solo silver Zen energy Chime. Zoisite gave her a set of four snow globes. Each with one of the four seasons inside. Then Helios presenting the last present of a dream catcher.

Afterward, Nanami got her presents. Ayame giving her a set of new drawing pencils. Jing giving her a Chinese Knot, Hiroko giving her a hat pin she had seen Nanami admiring one time at the shop, and Taura giving her a wooden owl eyeglasses holder.

Kunzite gave her a Water-resistant Artist Portfolio Tote and Backpack Canvas Bag for Art Supplies Storage and Traveling. From Zoisite, Ultra-thin Portable LED Light Box tracer Tracing Light Pad Light Box. Nephrite had gotten her a color you own puzzle. There was a black and white puzzle that you colored the image there yourself. Jadeite had gotten her a Adjustable Wood Tabletop Artist Easel and Helios gave her a dream catcher.

But the best present Nanami had gotten was from Naru. The others hitting themselves in the head for not thinking of it themselves. A Popin' Cookin' DIY Kit for Taiyaki and Dango. Nanami had jumped up and hugged the girl. Singing praises for such a wonderful present.

Then came Hiroko's turn. Ayame gave her a wind chime, Jing gave her a Chinese Knot, a picture of herself as Sailor Eurus from Nanami, and Taura gave her a 'Faith Makes All things Possible' snow globe with two beautiful hand crafted doves on a bed of pink roses inside. Naru had gotten her handmade birch plywood bookends that looked like forest.

Helios gave her a dream catcher, Kunzite gave a professional watch repair kit. Zoisite gave her a Tree of Life Pendant for Necklace Amulet with Crystal Quartz DIY 7 Chakra Gemstones Charms for Peace. Nephrite gave her a Star Projector with Timer Auto Shut Off, 7 Color Rotating Options by Remote Control, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Dim-able Function. Jadeite had gotten her a barrette.

Taura was next to receive her gifts. Ayame gave her a new epee mask, a Chinese Knot from Jing, a picture of her as Sailor Boreas from Nanami, an antique toy knight from Hiroko, and Naru gave her a mug that said 'Hello my name is Inigo Montoya you drank my coffee. Prepare to die'. Helios gave her a dream catcher.

Remembering Taura's past extensive sword collection, the guys had decided to help her rebuild it. Jadeite gave her a perfectly weighted stainless steel 43.5" Overall Rapier Sword with steel wire with rubber wrapped handle and pommel. Nephrite presented her a 38.25" Black/Red Chained Japanese Samurai Hook Sword with Carbon Sharp Blade Set. Kunzite presented her with three piece Dragon Samurai sword set with wood display stand. Complete with a 39.5-inch katana sword, a 29-inch wakizashi sword, and a 19-inch tanto with printed gold dragon wood on scabbard. Zoisite got her a sword maintenance kit to care for her newly acquired swords.

The final presents were given to Naru. It was her turn at last. Ayame gave her a new tennis racket, a Chinese Knot from Jing, a picture of everyone as they were in their past lives from Nanami, a snow globe with the earth suspended inside from Hiroko, and pepper spray from Taura to help keep away potential threats since the girl got attacked by monsters so often.

From the boys, Helios gave her a dream catcher like he had given everyone else, Kunzite gave her a Yusuke Amade CD and autograph, Nephrite gave her a new hair ribbon, Jadeite had gotten her a pewter guardian bells key chain with the symbol of Earth on it. Zoisite had gotten her Wealth Porsperity Pair of Fu Foo Dogs Guardian Lion Statues to Ward Off Evil Energy.

Which they all got a laugh out of. After that was over with, the group gathered around to take a picture.

In front, Helios was holding Jadeite in his arms. The rest of the guys all in the back. Kunzite on the far left with Zoiste beside him. On the other side was Mamoru and Nephrite on the far right. The girls in the middle row between them and Helios. In the center, Ayame stood on the left and Naru on the right. Beside Ayame was Jing and Nanami. On the other side of Naru was Hiroko and Taura.

After the photo was taken, Ayame and Nephrite moved away from the crowd. Walking away from the activity as the gang hugged and thanked each other for the gifts they received, Nephrite lead Ayame farther away from them. Standing in an alcove, Nephrite stopped and brought Ayame into his arms, the two holding each other as they watched their friends mess around with each other. Her head resting on his chest. Watching everyone together, Ayame felt content.

As she looked up at Nephrite, she was pleasantly surprised to find herself locked in a kiss. Melting into it, the couple kissed until they both needed air.

Holding her closer and whispering into her hair, Nephrite spoke. "I've been waiting to do that all night."

"What was stopping you?"

He chuckled before answering. "Look up."

Doing as she was told, someone had hung a bit of mistletoe.

Chuckling she only shook her head as she snuggled closer.

"Merry Christmas, Nephrite."

"Merry Christmas, Ayame."


	3. The Mysterious Aliens Appear

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me. We got it done just in time for Christmas.**_

Time flew by and with the treat of the Dark Kingdom forever erased off the face of the Earth, Sailor Gaea, her guardians of the Four Winds of Earth, and the Four Kings of Heaven were left to enjoy their hard earned peace.

For Ayame, she now juggled her time between school, cheerleading, charities, time with the girls, the occasional date with Nephrite, and getting to know her brother again. Now in the new year, Ayame sat in her classroom, having arrived early. Unlike a certain blonde someone she knew, Ayame glanced over at Usagi's empty desk. It was the same old, same old. Usagi was late yet again. Free to be lazy and ignorant of what had transpired.

Moments like this, following a routine with not monsters to interrupt, Ayame found it hard to believe how much time had past. It seemed as if it had all been a dream. But everyday, she was reminded by her treasured friends that it was better than a dream.

It was the life they all worked hard for and Ayame was determined to keep it an make it even better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, up on the roof top on the Tsukino residence, three felines watched the same morning routine of the only daughter of the family. Rushing out the door, yelling she was yet again, without fail, late. A piece of toast in her mouth as she ran, only to trip, loose the piece of toast, and cry about it hurting.

One of the three cats, Jadeite, stood on Luna's right while Artemis stood on her left. Jadeite watched this with a chuckle, the scene never getting old as it drew amusement from him. Watching further, Usagi's little brother came out and called to his elder sister. Calling her back to get her forgotten book bag. After getting up and rushing over, with a brief argument, the two separated and rushed to their schools.

Luna, even though she had seen it countless times still couldn't believe it.

"Imagine that." Luna remarked. "It's been two months since Usagi and the others lost their memories of being Sailor Guardians..."

"With the Dark Kingdom vanquished for good, Ayame and our group are enjoying the peace themselves. The guys finally getting a chance to live their own lives. Free to follow our hearts." Jadeite beamed with pride.

"All of them are back to being completely ordinary people again." Artemis added, gazing up at the beautiful morning.

"That's for sure." Luna agreed as she too, stared up at the sky.

"You know what, Luna?" Artemis asked as they watched birds fly by.

Jadeite glanced over at Artemis and covered him mouth with a paw to keep from chuckling.

"What?" Luna asked, her eyes still on the sky.

"I think you and I should settle down..." Artemis trailed off, leading close to her as he suggested this with a blush.

Realizing what the other cat was doing, Luna was appalled by his actions and his idea as she moved away. "Are you saying what I think, you PERVERT!" She yelled at him as she clawed him in the face.

Artemis jumping up in pain as his cries echoed through the neighborhood.

Beside them, Jadeite couldn't help but start laughing his head off as he watched, nearly rolled off the roof. He knew there was a reason he came here every morning after seeing Ayame off the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at school, class had already started when Usagi had finally arrived. Upon entering, Ms. Haruna had already prepared the bucket for their class, which they usually used for cleaning, and filled it with water.

"Go stand in the hall!" Ms. Haruna yelled. Ordering the blonde haired girl out of the classroom.

'Here we go again.' Ayame looked over at Naru and both girl sighed they watched the same thing that happened the day before occur.

Ayame watched as Usagi was forced to stand beside the door where Ms. Haruna would be able to hear. The bucket of water placed on her head. Ayame absentmindedly wondered how it didn't mess up her hair.

As Ms. Haruna continued class, Ayame began flipping the pages of her textbook to the correct page and resumed taking notes for not only herself but Usagi as well. Yesterday, it had been Naru's turn and now it was Ayame's. Both trying to help Usagi keep up with the rest of class since the poor girl couldn't even attend class to take notes herself.

Ayame honestly didn't know why Ms. Haruna bothered making Usagi stand in the hall. Usagi was always late. Standing in the hall wouldn't make her get up earlier. It would only make the girl tired and not pay attention in class later. Though, Ayame would admit, even when Usagi wasn't tired, she didn't pay much attention to class. The girl certainly wasn't going to learn anything balancing a bucket on her head, either. With Usagi's clumsiness, she would just get her uniform soaked or someone else. It might make her have better balance and not be so clumsy, but Ayame highly doubted it.

Ayame could just picture Usagi trying to make sure the bucket wouldn't fall while whimpering and crying over her sorry fate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Out in the hall, that was exactly what was happening. The blonde fighting to hold back tears and whimpering. Down the hall, Ami left her classroom. As she left, she noticed the state of her friendly acquaintance Usagi. Recalling the time Ayame had introduced her to the blonde. Taking out her handkerchief, Ami wiped the tears from Usagi's eyes. Attracting the attention of Usagi.

"They made you stand in the hall again?" Ami asked.

"Oh, hi Ami. Yeah. That heartless Haruna could sure learn a big lesson about kindness from someone as thoughtful as you!" Usagi whined.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the classroom, most of the students jumped as Ms. Haruna suddenly turned towards the door with a glare.

"Did I just hear someone call me "heartless"?!" Ms. Haruna yelled, outraged.

Ayame couldn't see what was going on, but she could make out Usagi's nervous laughter as Ms. Haruna stepped out into the hall.

"You're Ami Mizuno, am I right?" The teacher addressed the bluenette.

Ayame assuming that was who Usagi had complained to. Standing up and walking towards the door, Ayame poked her head out of the room and smiled despite the situation. Happy that the two girls were getting along.

"Uh, yes Ma'am!" Ami answered.

"Just know nothing good will come out of hanging around this one!" Ms. Haruna warned her.

Ayame frowned at this as she interjected. "Excuse me, Ms. Haruna, with all due respect, who Ami chooses to hang around with is her decision."

"Aren't you worried about damaging my self-esteem here?!" Usagi yelled at their teacher before the sudden movement caused the bucket on her head sway. "Whoa!"

Ami and Ayame gasping as the bucket tipped over and the cold water splashing all over Ms. Haruna. The teacher crying out in shock.

"Woopsies!" Usagi muttered.

Other students gathering around Ayame as Ms. Haruna let out a furious growl before shouting at the top of her lungs. "DETENTION!"

"Uh.. Sorry!" Usagi apologized before groaning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After another day, night time once again returned to Tokyo. Ayame had long ago turned in for the night. Close to her bedside, Jadeite rested on the cat bed he had been given last Christmas.

Over the last two months before this, it had been a matter of deep debate among the Four Kings of Heaven for Jadeite to stay in Ayame's home or not. Nephrite being the most strongly opposed to Jadeite staying any longer. His argument being there was no need for it any longer in a time of peace. Jadeite had been there to guide Ayame and protect her, his duty had been fulfilled. And there was plenty of room in the mansion.

Eventually, seeing the debate wasn't going anywhere, Ayame had told them she didn't mind have Jadeite over as she has grown used to his presence and it was better to be safe than sorry to have Jadeite there as an extra bit of protection. She also assured her boyfriend she only had eye for him and he had nothing to worry about, which helped settle the matter.

Now, both were fast asleep, unaware of the threat that was coming from beyond the stars.

Outside, tumbling through the sky, moving through the air, creating a dreadful rumbling as the very air shoot. A light from the heavens flashing through her window. Announcing it's arrival into the world.

Alerting the once sleeping spirit and the princess as they groggily awoke to see what the commotion was.

Streaking though the sky, a meteor made it's way towards the surface of the planet. Twisting and turning as it hurled itself faster and faster as gravity help bring it down. Flashing ever brighter just before it crashed. The impact of the fallen object causing the ground underneath to tremble at the presence of this intruder.

The explosion deafening as Ayame became wide awake and braced herself. Waiting for the quake to stop. Jadeite hissing at whatever was causing dread to grow within him. Something was terribly wrong.

Down the road, three men awoke with a start and leaped from their beds as soon as the trembling stopped. Throwing open their doors they shouted in unison.

"Something's wrong!"

Each one could sense something was off and with the feeling confirmed among their fellow warriors, they knew this was no coincidence. Into action, the three of them hurried to dress themselves and investigate what had caused this disturbance.

Some distance away from their location, where the meteorite struck, the crash site was an empty car lot. The impact creating a large crater with a slightly raised rim and surrounding area within the rim lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. It wasn't massive as some craters were known to be. But was larger than some of the smaller impacts known. It was neither a deep pit nor was it particularly shallow. Like most craters, it was shaped like a bowl. The previous blast creating groves and furrows into the ground within the blast radius. The pavement fractured. Despite the explosion and the heat generated, there was neither melting nor smoking rock of pavement or the meteorite itself.

In the center, the meteorite was different than anything else fallen from the heavens. Green in color, and elliptical in shape. Covered in veins or wrinkles of a sort. This foreign object emitted a green residue or substance out from itself.

For a moment, it lay dormant where it had landed, before it began to glow a gentle blue. Rippling over the surface before it faded. Like that of a slug, though faster in movement, the object crawled away from the center of the crater before it levitated high into the air. Glowing once more, the object removed itself from the scene as it headed towards an apartment building. Reaching the top floor, it was almost like it was looking through the windows of the balcony into the empty apartment. Looking through both sets of glass doors, almost as if was making sure it was empty, the object emitted a flash of light, encompassing the apartment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later in the night, a crowd had gathered around the broken fragmented edges of the crater, getting as close as they dared without falling in. The people murmuring among themselves as they speculated what had happened. Some fearful, due to living so close and the fear it could have hit their homes instead of an empty car lot.

Up on one of the closest rooftops Luna and Artemis were also watching with invested interest.

"What in the world could have done that?" Artemis asked his companion.

"Just looking at this is giving me a bad feeling..." Luna fretted.

"Huh?" Artemis asked looking to his partner before something caught his eye behind him. Looking behind him, Artemis gasped with a start upon seeing three of the Four Kings of Heaven behind them. Each with a grim expression as they gazed down at the crater.

"I must agree with Luna. This does not bode well." Kunzite spoke. "Each of us have gotten a bad feeling. It can not be a coincidence."

"As for your question, furball, it was a meteor that had caused this. But, for a meteor to have crashed here..." Zoisite trailed off worried as he though of the possibilities of this happening here.

"Actually, the term meteor actually refers to the streak of light caused by a piece of space debris burning up in the atmosphere. The pieces of debris are called meteoroids, and remnants of the debris that reach Earth's surface are called meteorites." Nephrite explained, being the one who knew most about the stars and everything in between.

Zoisite glared at him, muttering a barely heard 'know-it-all' as he crossed his arms and huffed at being corrected.

Ignoring this, Nephrite continued to speak about the matter. "Meteoroids hitting the Earth isn't actually that uncommon. Surprisingly, most of the meteoroids that reach the ground are just especially small and don't leave as big of an impact so they go unnoticed. Most of the debris the Earth comes in contact with is "dust". From microscopic debris to dust-particle-size pieces, most of this dust is shed by comets traveling through the solar system."

"They don't get vaporized because they are light enough that they slow down very easily. They don't experience the intense friction that larger meteoroids do. In this sense, most all meteoroids that enter the atmosphere make it to the ground, in the form of microscopic dust. The meteorites a person is likely to find on the ground probably came from significantly larger meteoroids."

"What meteoroids lack in mass, they make up for in speed, and this is what causes the flash of light in the sky. Most notably, a meteoroid's entry speed affects its chances of reaching the surface, because it determines the amount of friction the meteoroid experiences. Meteoroids enter the atmosphere at extremely high speeds. From 7 to 45 miles per second or 11 to 72 kilometers per second. They can travel at this rate very easily in the vacuum of space because there's nothing to stop them. Earth's atmosphere, on the other hand, is full of matter, which creates a great deal of friction on a traveling object. This friction generates enough heat, up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1,649 degrees Celsius, to raise the meteoroid's surface to its boiling point, so the meteoroid is vaporized, layer by layer."

"Typically, though, a meteoroid would have to be about the size of a marble for a portion of it to reach the Earth's surface. Smaller particles burn up in the atmosphere about 50 to 75 miles or 80 to 120 kilometers above the Earth."

"When a large extraterrestrial object enters the Earth's atmosphere the initial impact with the atmosphere will compress the atmosphere, sending a shockwave through the air which was part of the rumbling from before. Frictional heating will cause the object to heat and glow. Melting and even vaporization of the outer parts of the object will begin, but if the object is large enough like this one was, solid material will remain when it impacts the surface of the Earth."

"To leave a crater of this size... There should be something left down there."

Kunzite nodded at the information, his eyes never once leaving the crater. "We need to get a closer look. Is there anything else you know that might be helpful?"

"There is more I could say about the subject, but I don't think it would be of any help in this case. However, there something about this crater doesn't seem right. While it does have all the typical appearances of a crater, however, from the explosion, there should still be lingering heat and melting rock. Look at how close the people are getting. The crater has cooled faster than it should have. There also seems to be a green reside or substance left behind in the center. That is not normal. It could be something from the meteorite." Nephrite explained.

Nodding, Kunzite gazed at the crater with a sense of growing dread. "After everyone leaves, we need to get a closer look at the matter."

"Right." Zoisite and Nephrite answered.

Looking down at the lot, the group recognized a few familiar faces.

Grandpa Hino had joined those gathered together along with Rei as she stood there glaring at the pit with crossed arms.

"Musta been a meteor!" Grandpa Hino assumed.

Not too far from them, Minako had also ventured out into the night to see what the commotion was. Along side Ayame and Jadeite being held in the redhead's arms, Usagi was gawking at the crater. Ayame looked on with a worried countenance.

From behind them, a hesitant voice addressed them. "Um, Usagi, Ayame?"

Turning to the left, the girls were greeted with the sight on Ami. The girl shyly blushing.

"Oh! Hi, Ami!" Usagi greeted her.

"Hey, Ami." Ayame greeted her.

"Good evening!" Ami replied.

"Wow! So even your super brains are curious about stuff like-" Usagi started to say before the three of them were slightly pushed from behind. Causing them to gasp at nearly falling over and into the crater.

"Hey! Quit pushing!" Usagi yelled in anger, her expression changing quickly seeing who it was.

The person being none other that Makoto. "Sorry about that! Someone behind me was pushing!" She explained with a smile.

"Oh, ah, Makoto." Usagi greeted.

"Hey, Makoto. It's okay. No harm done. Seems like we were all interested in what's happening tonight." Ayame chuckled.

Makoto nodded as they all turned back to the crater.

Beside Ayame, Usagi let out a curious 'Hm?' as she blinked as few times in confusion.

'How weird. The way we're together like this feels awfully familiar... I felt this way before once when we all first met, but I never felt it this strong...why is that?' Usagi wondered as she crossed her arms in contemplation.

Looking down at her feet, Usagi soon became distracted by a flier at her feet,

"Hm? No way! All candy is 80% off!? Sounds like my kind of place!" Usagi gushed, her cheeks growing rosy at the thought of all those sweets she could buy.

"If all you ever eat are sweets, you'll turn your body into a giant bun, too." A voice Ayame recognized as Mamoru's warned behind them.

Usagi's mood began to fall as she too recognized who it was. "Hey I know that obnoxious voice..."

Turning around, their assumptions were correct.

"Hey. What's up, Bun-head, Ayame?" Mamoru greeted them.

Walking away from the edge of the crater, others taking their spot to get a better view of the crater, Ayame beamed as she spoke to her brother. "Hey, Mamoru."

Usagi glared at her friend. "You know this jerk!?" Then turning to Mamoru, began yelling at him. "Only you call me that! You need to quit calling me "Bun-head" all the time!"

Ayame could only sigh before answering. "Yes, I do. He's friends with my boyfriend and we were introduced at a Christmas party.

Mamoru nodded before turning to address Usagi. "The thought of a Bun-head turning into a bun-body is almost too much for me to take." His comment only adding more fuel to the fire.

"Well, you're a butt-head!" Usagi insulted him.

"Usagi!" Ayame scolded her friend.

"A butt-head, really? That's pathetic." Mamoru told her.

"Oh yeah!?" Usagi yelled.

Ayame gritted her teeth before snapping at the both of them. "ENOUGH! Both of you!"

Both jumping at her outburst.

Sighing, Ayame rubbed her temples as she looked between the two.

'At the rate Usagi is going, she's never going to fall in love with Mamoru again. It feels like she lied when she said no one was cooler than Mamoru back at the Dark Kingdom. What's it going to take for them to be together again?' Ayame wondered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later in the night, with dawn approaching on the far horizon of Tokyo, across the street of the site of the crater, upon the top seventh floor of the apartment building known as Juban Odysseia, the previously empty apartment now had residents.

Ones that would not be vacating anytime soon.

Two beings not of this world were now out on the balcony. From their looks they were the same species. One was obviously male. With a slightly muscular and solid build, he was talker than his counterpart as he leaned on the railing of the balcony, facing the apartment as the lights illuminated the otherwise dark night. His skin a light green color with elfin ears with a single gold earring on his right ear. Eyes a dark admiral blue, his hair was far lighter in shade. Reaching slightly pass his waist, the color appeared to be a baby blue with hot pink highlights on the longer bits of his fringe.

He wore a bodysuit that covered his entire figure besides his hands. The majority of it was navy with a type of vest attached and an azure blue broach in the shape of a tear. With gold lining along the shoulders, the vest also had it along the edges and decorating the front. The gold creating sections fill in teal. Around his waist was the beginnings of a golden vine that wrapped around his right leg.

In his hands was a white flute with green vines designed on it and spots of red.

Sitting on the rail and facing out into the night, his female counterpart was shorter with a slim slender build. Like the male beside her, she too had skin of light green color with elfin ears. She wore a similar bodysuit and her hair in a similar style and was just as long if not slightly longer that the male's.

However, that was were the similarities ended. In her ears, she wore one gold earring on her right side and two on her left. Her hair, instead of blue was a light pink with sky blue highlights in her fringe. Her eyes a fiery hot pink. She also wore light blue lipstick. Her bodysuit was a different color that the males despite the similar style, being red. The vest was purple instead of teal and the gold vine wrapped around her left leg rather than the right. She wore higher heeled boots and the azure broach was in a heart shape with two gold teardrops on the left and right.

As they sat on the balcony, the male began to chuckle. "This planet is simply overflowing with excellent sources of energy..."

"I'm glad we made the effort to come here." The female replied.

"What's on your mind, An?" The male asked his female counterpart, now known as An.

"Why, you are, Ali, isn't that obvious? What about you?" An asked her partner, now known as Ali.

"Most of my thoughts involve you. Words alone cannot describe how beautiful you are to me." Ail cooed.

"Really?" An asked.

Bringing his flute closer to his lips, Ail continued to talk. "Legend says the hero Perseus fell in love with the lovely Andromeda... and he honored her by risking his life battling many monsters to protect her. I will model myself after him."

Finally bringing the flute to his lips, music filled the air as An leaned her head against his shoulder and watched the rising dawn approaching.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Ayame was once again at school bright and early, despite having wanted to sleep in longer due to the late night she had. After she had dragged Usagi away from Mamoru since they wouldn't stop fighting, Ayame and Jadeite had gone back home.

She had later gotten a call from the guys and they reported their suspicions. Once the civilians had left the crater site, the men managed to get a sample of the green residue to figure out what it was and hopefully what had crashed there. The worst case scenario, searching see if it was a possible future threat.

Ayame honesty didn't like to think about it being another enemy so soon after they finished their last enemy, but it was better safe than sorry. She just hoped they, including herself, were all being paranoid. If it was a threat, probably small to begin  
with and would be too hard for Sailor Gaea, her team, and the guys to handle.

Later, something usual happened on the warm spring day. The students were a buzz with the news of two new transfer students coming that day. Soon the student body gathered together in rows in front of a simple wooden stage. Members of the faculty stood on either side. Three on her left and four on her right.

Soon, Ms. Haruna stepped up on the stage with a boy and girl following quickly behind. The boy was the older of the two. He had orange hair that reached to his neck and average fair skin tone. His eyes a purplish-blue. His uniform was different than most of the boys uniforms, being gray. Ayame was curious as to why, but she refrained from voicing her thoughts. The girl had red hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her skin was normally toned, albeit pale and her eyes were brownish red. She wore the standard girls uniform with the white and blue sailor top, red ribbon, and blue skirt.

Clearing her throat, Ms. Haruna began introductions. "Everyone, I'd now like to introduce our transfer students. Seijuro Ginga, and Natsumi Ginga."

"Seijuro is a 3rd year student, and older brother of Natsumi, who is a 2nd year student. Please be nice to them, okay?" Ms. Haruna asked as the brother and sister duo bowed.

"We will!" Came collective answer from the student body.

Standing in line, Usagi and Naru were gushing over the new students, particularly the new boy. Looking at the the girls behind her, Ayame could practically see hearts in Usagi's eyes. Even Naru and the majority of the other girls around them were attracted to him. Ayame couldn't help but sigh in annoyance at the blonde's boy-crazy antics. Looking back at the boy, Ayame would admit he wasn't hard on the eyes, but she wasn't interested.

"He's so handsome!" Usagi gushed.

"He's got a great name!" Naru commented.

"Hmp." Ayame shrugged. "I guess he's okay. Masato is ten times better than him in the looks department."

Umino stood in the line beside them and he wasn't pleased with a potential rival to his love for Naru. Jealously eating away at him. "You really think Seijuro Ginga sounds great? The name sounds made up..."

"Well it is not made up!" Usagi and Naru scolded him.

"Bwhaa?" Umino asked as he turned to face them, shocked at their quick rebuttal.

Ignoring him the girls turned their attention back to the new boy. Naru's eyes were also filled with hearts this time. "It's a perfect name for him!"

"Yeah! I agree! It's wonderful!" Usagi gushed.

Ayame moved her head to block their view, sending a glare to Naru, making the girl snap out of her daydreams.

Moving so they could talk and Usagi continued to gwak, Ayame whispered to her friend.

"Don't forget the plan. We need to get her to focus on my brother, not this guy, no matter how good looking he is, Usagi is destined to Mamoru. This could blow everything we've been working towards the last two months." Ayame reminded her.

Naru sighed. "You're right. Sorry."

Ayame's face softened before she replied. "It's okay. Just don't forget."

Naru nodded before they separated and Naru went back to admiring Seijuro. Leaving Ayame to sigh again. Looking back a the two new students, she couldn't help but feel something bad was going to happen soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the assembly, it turned out that Natsumi was in their class, Room 2-1. All the students were excited to meet her as they gathered around and murmured among themselves as they prepared to learn more about the new transfer student.

"So Natsumi, you've returned from studying over seas?" Umino asked the first question as he sat nearby and leaned on her desk.

"Si." Natsumi answered in agreement.

Causing the other students to gasp in surprise.

"Wow, cool! You're multi-lingual?" Usagi asked in shock.

"I'm multi-lingual too, Usagi. I speak Japanese and Italian." Ayame reminded her friend with an amused smile. Usagi's enthusiasm and reactions making her smile.

"Whoa, you speak Spanish?" Naru asked.

"Hey hey! Talk some more in Spanish for us!" Usagi begged the girl.

Complying with the request, Natsumi spoke again. "Blah, blah, blee, blah, blah."

At this, the class emitted groans of confusion.

"What was that?" Ayame asked.

'It didn't sound even remotely close to Spanish. Is she trying to take us for idiots?!' Ayame thought, a bit annoyed.

Natsumi said nothing as she simply giggled. Everyone giving her strained smiles, not wanting to offend the girl.

"Uh..." Usagi muttered.

"That was weird." Naru muttered.

Usagi said nothing as she let out a bit of nervous laughter.

Before anyone could say anything else, everyone stopped as they heard flute music fill the air from somewhere close by.

"What a wonderful sound." Naru commented.

The music continuing to play. Recognizing the song and flute, Natsumi or An grew serious. Anger slowly creeping in with every note.

Following the sound, they left the classroom and walked out into the hall. Standing near an open window, Seijuro was playing his flute as girls gathered around to admire him and his music. Mostly him.

"Beautiful!" Usagi commented.

"So mesmerizing!" Naru agreed.

Ayame said nothing, but even she had to admit it was a beautiful song. She merely crossed her arms as she stood to Naru's right while Usagi was on the left.

'So, Ali, you're starting up with that bad habit of yours again...' An thought, her eyes filling with anger.

The girls let out amazed murmurs as they gathered around. The flute music continuing on, Seijuro either too absorbed in his music to notice or ignoring them. The girls fawning over him as some of them cooed and awed in their amazement and blushing cheeks.

Naru and Usagi blushing along with the others.

"Hmf! Well, what do you think of this, Naru!" Umino huffed in jealously as he pulled out a plastic flute recorder and emitting a discord of squeaky flute sounds before Naru took it and hit him in the back of the head. Making the bespectacled boy groan.

"That's enough of that!" Naru told him.

Hearing the commotion, Seijuro stopped playing as he looked up in their direction and gasped before coming towards them. The other girls moving aside, upset that the music stopped and the one they were admiring moving away.

Noticing Seijuro was coming closer, Naru hid the flute behind her, becoming nervous under the gaze of the cute new boy. "Oh! Heh heh..."

"At long last! My search is over, I have finally found my Andromeda!" Seijuro spoke in amazed and loving reverence.

Naru gasped at such a bold statement as she blushed and fumbled to come up with a reply. "But- I'm-"

Umino recovered from the hit Naru had given him and stood before his girlfriend in a protective manner. "Naru, I'll protect you!"

"Umino..!" Naru growled at him.

To their surprise, Seijuro wasn't looking at them, but the one to Naru's left.

Seijuro bowed slightly before Usagi. "Please allow me the great honor of playing you a song that comes straight from my heart." He requested.

Naru and Umino gasped as they turned to look at her. Ayame couldn't help but glare at the boy, though he didn't seem to notice.

Usagi's blush grew as she emitted nervous giggles in her glee.

"Galaxy Fantasie Impromptu number five... The Miracle of Lovely Andromeda." Seijuro announced the name of the song as he brought the flute close.

Usagi was on cloud nine from the sudden turn of events. 'Oh wow! Is he talking about me?!'

As Seijuro brought the flute to his lips, he gasped as he looked up, pass everyone else to see An. The alien's aura glowing red with rage, the image hidden from everyone else but them.

'Ail...' Natsumi growled in her mind.

'An..!' Seijuro thought nervously, having been caught in an awkward situation.

Seeing Seijuro's hesitation, Usagi broke out of her boy-crazed daze and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" Usagi asked.

"Brother!" Natsumi called out irritated.

Everyone jumping in surprise as they turned to Natsumi with a gasp.

"What were you about to do?" Natsumi questioned.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Seijuro answered as he quickly walked away.

"Huh?" The others asked confused as to what happened. Watching Seijuro leave before turning back to Natsumi.

Turning away, Natsumi shot one last glare at Usagi before she left.

"Uhh..." Usagi muttered, confused as to why the new transfer student who seemed so friendly just a little while ago glared at her so hard.

"Hmm." Ayame hummed thoughtfully as she watched this. 'Looks like someone has a big brother complex.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day, students were chattering as they left school. Happy for the day to be over.

Walking home together, the two aliens in disguise refused to look at each other, the air between them slightly tense and as they discussed what happened earlier.

"When we're at school, you need to refrain from acting the way you did today..." Seijuro told her.

"You should really be telling yourself that!" Natsumi answered angrily.

Seijuro chanced taking a look at her and seeing she still refused to look at him tried to reason with her. "I understand you're mad- But keep in mind it's important they all think we're brother and sister."

"Fine," Natsumi relented as she turned to look at him, "but that doesn't mean you have to make passes at all those girls, does it? Hmf!" Natsumi huffed as she turned away again, only to gasp at the sight of a certain male that was coming closer and passing by. Reading his book as he walked with the rest of his book under his arm, Mamoru Chiba walked along, unknowing of the future events and mayhem that would come into his life.

'That green blazer... those pleated pants... that guy is perfect for me!' Natsumi thought as she watched him go by while she blushed.

"Please, you know that I love you. There's no way that I could care for a woman like I do for you." Seijuro told his partner before turning to look at her. "My love for you is- Huh?" He asked as he looked around for Natsumi, the girl in question having disappeared.

So entranced by Mamoru, Natsumi had stopped walking by her 'brother' and began following Mamoru who was still unaware to her presence. Her blush never once leaving her cheeks.

As Mamoru walked, he accidentally loosened his hold on his books as he had gotten more into the book he was reading.

"Hm." He grunted as he looked up from his book and rushed to pick up his belongings.

Noticing this as an opportunity to talk to her new crush, Natsumi laughed as she headed over towards him. "Haha! Oh!-" Until she felt a sudden pain in her chest, her vision turning shades of gray as her limbs no longer listened to her. She struggled to breathe as she wobbled to the side, eventually hitting a street light as she fell to her knees. Her legs no longer able to support her. Dropping her school bag.

Not having noticed her plight, Mamoru gathered her books and continue his trek onwards.

Helpless, Natsumi still clutched her chest.

'Energy... I need... energy!' She screamed in her mind. Unable to call for help.

Luckily, Seijuro found her. Seeing her sate, he gasped as he rushed to her. "An!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, Ayame and Jadeite had met up with the guys as they sat in one of the parlor rooms of the mansion. Each of them sitting on a couch. The rest of the girls unable to make it, but each had their communicators on to hear the conversation. Naru was busy with Usagi.

"Have you found anything from that sample you collected last night?" Ayame asked.

"Yes and no. We haven't been unable to find anything of exact composition as the residue from the meteorite. It will take more time to get better results. What we have been able to figure out is that it comes from some sort of plant." Kunzite explained.

"A plant?" Ayame and Jadeite asked.

"How is that possible?" Hiroko asked.

"Yeah, wouldn't it have burned up entering the atmosphere?" Jing asked.

"How could a plant even live in space?" Nanami asked.

"Indeed. Whatever is was, it's unlike anything I have ever come across in my former gardens in the Dark Kingdom. To survive the vacuum of space, entering the atmosphere, the crash, and leaving no other trace..." Zoisite muttered trailing off.

"Do you think it could be a threat?" Taura asked.

"We don't know yet. Without further evidence, it doesn't seem like it. But I think it best to be on guard. We're trying to identify the energy of the residue left behind to find a way to trace it, just in case something survived and is preparing to run amok. However, the energy left behind has faded quicker than expected and has made it even harder." Nephrite answered.

Ayame sighed as she rested her head against her boyfriend's shoulder. Wrapping an arm around her, Nephrite comforted her.

"After two months of peace, something else comes to disrupt it... Why can't things just leave us alone? I've felt uneasy since yesterday. Like something bad will happen at any moment..."

"Don't worry, Ayame! You have us to help protect earth!" Jing cheered.

"She's right. We're all here to help." Hiroko added.

"The Four Kings of Heaven are at your disposal, Your Highness." Jadeite said with a bow.

"By the way... On a lighter note, how's operation: Get the Prince and Princess back together again?" Nanami asked.

"UGH! Don't even ask. It's impossible! I don't know how the two fell in love with the way they act. Usagi is so stubborn and won't even give him a chance. Now this new guy has shown up and Usagi, being the boy-crazed girl she is, is going gaga over him. Worse, he seems to like her too."

"Yeah, nearly all the girls are crushing on him. That sister of his doesn't like it. I heard other girls talking about how she glared at some of them for hanging around her brother during lunch." Taura added.

"Hm. Don't give up yet, your highness." Kunzite spoke. "I'm sure both problems will work itself out somehow."

Ayame nodded. Even with their reassurances, it did nothing to change the growing dread within her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some distance away at the Juban Odysseia, on the top floor, hidden away from prying eyes and ears, flute music was being played. The apartment now had new furnishing. The balcony now had a potted plant, two white seats, and a matching table between them.

Inside, the room was mostly red. The curtains by the glass windows the same color. In the living room was a red sectional couch in a right angle with a purple throw pillow or two. Two other red ottoman seats helped surround the glass coffee table with a vase of white flowers on top of it for decoration. The only light emitted came from a lamp with an orange lamp shade. Behind the couch was an arch and bookshelf.

Going deeper into the apartment, and following the flute music, the first door used a button to open the doors. Behind it was a space unlike that of the previous room. Within it was a pitch black room. Empty aside from a giant tree. It was shaped like a human heart. Covered in wrinkles as bits of it settled roots into the ground. Around the lower parts were pea-like pods that were open and large enough to cradle a small child. The upper part of the tree branched out to create a blue leafed canopy over itself. The leaves being red underneath.

Sitting on one of the roots and branches, Ail played his flute as An's unconscious body rose into the air. Her back was supported by the lower branches of the tree.

Looking over at his love, Ail stopped playing as he looked at her with guilt. He should have payed more attention to her and have been more aware she was low on energy.

Sighing, he began to play again and the leaves began to glow blue. A branch shaped like a flower bud moved and the top pointed gray part moved forward to branch out like a vine. Releasing what could be mistaken for a single drop of water, the drop started to fall. Shining as it broke apart over An. With the song coming to an end.

Ail waited as An's body glowed just like the leaves of the tree. Her eyes slowly opening as the energy settled within her. Gasping as she awoke, An sat up and jumped over to join Ail on the same branch. With a light giggle she leaned against him. Showing she was okay.

Ail smiled, relived. "An..." Until he noticed something going on with the tree. "Huh?"

Looking up, the leaves that just a moment ago were vibrant and full of life, began to shrivel up. The branch that provided An energy shriveling and falling limp.

An gasped in horror. "What's happening?"

The light of the tree growing dark.

"As you can see, it's running low on life energy that's so vital to our survival..." Ail explained, his tone laced with worry.

"Well, we're fortunate because this planet seems to be filled with life energy... Look..." An said as she pointed into the darkness of the room. Images showing an open field of flowers and butterflies, a forest filled with wildlife, horses racing in open fields, seagulls flying high in the air.

Then came images of humans in a crowd, dancing, and a couple sitting together in a park.

"The life energy of this human race is particularly new and fresh..." An commented with a giggle as she licked her lips.

"We have roamed the galaxy searching for a peaceful place to live... I feel this place will be our paradise." Ail spoke as an image of Earth appeared from outer space.

An giggling in glee, happy they would have a fresh start and no longer struggle for survival.

Turing to his partner, Ail held as set of what appeared to be blank white cards. "An, I want you to choose a Cardian suitable for our mission here... Your ability to see the future is the best in the universe..."

"Well..!" An said, flattered by his words as she picked a card from somewhere in the center, the card floating in the air as it rose higher to reveal an image of a purple skinned figure holding a red flower in it's hand and another similar flower was at it's feet. It's hair and clothing made of light blue and light green leaves respectively.

"Flowers are lovely and short-lived, but their life force is strong." Ail commented as he looked at the card and what it represented.

"That's nice, Ail, but I doubt flower blossoms will be enough to satisfy us." An said as she leaned in. "But human beings, especially young girls in love posses powerful energy we can tap."

"Such a waste. Won't boys work too?" Ail asked, slightly uncomfortable with the idea.

"No they won't." An insisted hotly.

Ail gave her a slight smile. "Fine, understood. We'll do as you say." He said before he looked away, still uncomfortable with the idea, worrying about a particular girl.

An giggled happily at getting her way. "I'm so glad we agree!"

"We call on you, Cardian! Our servant Vampir, appear!" Ail commanded as he stood up and began to play a different tune on his flute from before.

With a golden glow, the card emitted waves of energy as the four corners of the card stretched out in opposite directions. The lines growing thicker as a new monster appeared.

"Vampir!" It cried as it came to life. Ready to follow the commands of it's masters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Unleashing their monster out onto the world, it wasn't long until the calm before the storm was shattered by a woman's scream. Ringing out into the night, many unknowing of the danger unleashed upon them.

The times of peace was over.

Having been investigating on foot, Luna and Artemis were near a warehouse and gasped at the sound. Alarmed and fearful of just what they would find, the two ran towards the source.

At the scene, a woman struggled to breath as the monster drained her energy. The monster towering over her as the flower that formed it's hand closed in on her and held her from running away.

Having drained most of the victim's energy, the monster released her. Letting her fall to ground, the monster muttered it's name, happy with it's first successful target.

"Vampir..!"

Closing the flower, the monster jumped away, searching for more energy to give to it's masters.

"Vampir!"

Panting as they entered the alley from the opposite direction the monster ran away, the two cats were shocked by what they saw as they came to a halt.

"What happened!?" Artemis asked bewildered.

The girl in question was extremely pale, her jacket torn here and there. Amazingly she was still semi-conscious, twitching.

"Help... me..." She whispered with her hoarse voice, having been made rough by her screams and cries for help. For her attacker to let her go.

"She's been drained of her energy!" Luna realized. "Those strange feelings that I had earlier were right!"

"What now?! Should we restore the Guardians memories?" Artemis suggested.

"We can't do that to them!" Luna yelled at him before looking down sadly. "They're finally able to live as normal young girls..." she reminded him, explaining her reluctance.

Ashamed for having forgotten, Artemis lowered his head before agreeing with her. "I guess you're right. We'll just have to handle this ourselves!" He said sadly.

"You're crazy!" A familiar voice scolded them.

"Huh?" They asked as they looked up to see Jadeite up on a roof.

Jadeite scoffed at their idiocy and umped down beside them.

"You can't take Monsters down. Your both two cats! What are you going to do? Scratch the monster's eyes out? Make them sneeze if their allergic to you? If you two could have defeated monsters just yourselves, there would be no need for the Sailor Guardians in the first place! You two could have taken down the Dark Kingdom if that was the case and the girls would have been living in peace the entire time." Jadeite declared.

"The time of peace is over! You're in way over your heads! We can't pretend this is nothing. This woman's life is in danger! We were afraid a new enemy would appear. Unlike you two, we have been investigating with facts! Not with just gut feelings!" He continued to scold them.

Turning away, Jadeite made his way to leave. Casting one last glance over his shoulder, he spoke.

"Go after the monster and try to take it down if you can! I'm going to go get a REAL Sailor Guardian to solve this problem. One that doesn't run from responsiblilty. Let those girls you cherish so much live in ignorance, don't bother the denizens of the Moon. The protectors of Earth will clean it up just as we have been since that foolish princess of yours sealed all of her Guardians memories away. See ya!"

Before the two cats could say anything, they turned back towards where the monster had run off as another scream filled the air.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hearing the scream, coincidentally having coming from just outside her window in the alley below, Naru opened her window to see the cause of it.

"What was that?" Dressed in light blue pajamas, she still held the phone to her ear as she looked.

"Is something wrong?" Usagi asked from the phone.

"Vampir!" The monster spoke as it's green pupil-less eyes locked on to her. Picking her as its next unfortunate target.

The monster in question seemed to be female. With pink skin, its hair was light blue. It's hair was straight and formed a flat even edge at the top, bits of hair collected at the back of its neck. It had pointed ears and fangs in its mouth. It's eyes pupil-less and a dark olive green with pronounced tear-troughs on its face.

Its clothing was odd in that it looked like grass. The shoulders jutting out and ending there, leaving the rest of the arms bare. The outfit ended at the top parts of its legs, forming a grassy ring that circled around to the back. The back dipping down in a 'V'. Below the knees, was more clothing made of the same grass like material. It stopped before it reached its feet.

On its left arm where a hand should have been was a giant closed red flower with a vine circling around the upper arm.

Letting out a frightened gasp, Naru began to back away from the window, her hand that wasn't holding the phone fumbling for her communicator to alert her brother or one of the girls of the monster on the loose. Her eyes never leaving the monster, in case it provoked it somehow and to watch out for an attack.

"Naru?! What is it?" Usagi asked, unable to see what was going on.

Letting its former victim go letting the girl's limp body fall to the ground, Vampir jumped into the air beside Naru's window.

Shaking as it floated by the window, Naru managed to grab communicator and her pepper spray she had gotten from Taura for Christmas.

Calling the most resent contact, Naru kept didn't bother to check as it was immediately picked up on the first ring.

"Naru? What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Ayame asked, worried about her friend's sudden call.

As the monster raised it's left hand, the one that held the flower, and the blossom opened. Revealing two brown pistil.

"Please? Help me!" Naru begged.

"What?!" Ayame and Usagi asked. Naru not having hung up the phone yet.

"Vampir!" It shouted as the pistil lunged out.

Screaming and running on adrenaline, Naru quickly unlocked the safety on the pepper spray, and sprayed it at the monster, making the monster miss. So focused on the monster, Naru dropped the phone and communicator in her haste.

"Naru...?! What's happening...?! Naru!" Usagi called out, worried for her friend.

Growling in anger as it wiped away the pepper spray, the monster attacked again, the pistil managing to wrapped around Naru's neck and torso. Her body glowing pink as she was drained.

"Naru! Naru! Answer me! What's going on!? Naru!" Ayame called, unfortunately the monster stepped on the communicator, cutting off the transmission.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the transmission cut off, Ayame knew there wasn't a moment to waste. Opening her window, she sneaked out and rushed over to Naru's transforming on the way.

"Gaea Founding Power! Make Up!"

Along the way there, she ran into Jadeite and told him to alert the others and head to Naru's house.

Entering Naru's home, Sailor Gaea rushed up the stairs to Naru's room, passing the fainted Mrs. Osaka. Sailor Gaea wasn't totally surprised, seeing the last time there was a monster, she had done the same thing before. However, she surprised that Usagi was there. Doing the same pose she would do back when she was Sailor Moon.

"Don't play hero! You hate it!" Sailor Gaea yelled at her, making the blonde turn her head to look at the Sailor Guardian in shock and awe.

"Sailor Gaea! What are you doing here? This has got to be a dream!"

"Usagi!" Luna yelled, trying to get her attention.

Disregarding Sailor Gaea, Vampir attacked Usagi, the pistil wrapping around her neck and torso just as it had done Naru before hand.

Usagi screaming as she tried to pry the plant off.

"Oh no ya don't!" Luna yelled as she tried to attack Vampir, only to be smacked away. Ugh!"

Still struggling, Usagi's body began to glow as she was drained. "I feel my strength draining out... But that's weird. This is supposed to be a dream...?"

"It's not a dream you idiot! It's real!" Sailor Gaea yelled as she drew out her sword.

"Why am I...?" Usagi asked as she stopped struggling and let her hands fall limply to her sides.

"Usagi..." Luna spoke through gritted teeth, still in pain.

Having recovered from the previous attack he had taken, Artemis launched himself at the monster. "Ahh!"

Vampir shouting as Artemis scratched at its face. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sailor Gaea cut off the pistil. Usagi slightly fainting as Sailor Gaea caught her and eased her to the ground.

Getting smacked away from the monster, Artemis bared the pain as he taunted the monster to draw it away. "Hey! Can you catch me?!"

Jumping though the window, the monster fell for the taunt as it shatter the glass and shouted after the white cat. "Vampir!"

"Artemis! Don't!" Luna cried out.

"It's gotta be a dream... vampires who look like drag queens..." Usagi muttered, still dazed and clinging to her 'normal' reality.

Luna's thoughts raced in her mind as she grew indecisive. 'What should I do!? If I don't do something, Artemis and a lot of innocent people will be...' She thought, barely able to think of the consequences of either decision. Deciding between the girls happiness and the fate of her furry friend.

Looking up she saw Sailor Gaea moving away from Usagi, and looking out the window to see where the monster and Artemis had run off. 'But Sailor Gaea is here! Maybe she can handle it... '

As if readying Luna's mind, Sailor Gaea turned to the feline. "Luna, I think this Monster is stronger than any of the Dark Kingdom Monsters we have ever faced. My team and I can't do this alone! It will take too long for the others to get here! I need Sailor Moon's help now!"

This was all the encouraging Luna needed. "There's no other choice here! Forgive me, Usagi!" Luna begged as she steeled herself for what had to be done. "Become Sailor Moon again!"

Usagi was unable to protest as she was still in a daze. Luna sat down in front of Usagi as the cresent mark on her forehead began to glow and sent out a beam, touching Usagi's.

Standing behind the cat, Sailor Gaea slowly let a cold, cruel smirk crawl on her face. Her eye's alight with wicked glee. Eager to see Sailor Moon return.

'Fool... I could handle this easy. I bet I wouldn't even need to use my sword for this. The others are already on their way. The guys would be here quick since they have cars. You didn't even question it, Luna. You didn't even think I might have an ulterior motive for this.' Sailor Gaea thought, almost letting out a chuckle before catching herself.

'All this time, I couldn't help but HATE Usagi for what she did. Day in, day out, she got to live in peace and ignorance because of the Sailor Guardians of Earth were the ones cleaning up the mess she made! Being her goofy self, she was practically mocking me the entire time! She stole my brother away!'

'I still remember and I lived as a normal girl for two months just as she did! I've enjoyed the time I've had with the girls and the guys. There was no need to seal away everyone's memories! Well, now, now Usagi, you're time is up! I will see you suffer just as I have. You will get to live knowing the entire truth and watch helplessly as Mamoru ignores you. I am now in a position to spend time with him whenever I like, once you remember everything you'll get watch from the sidelines. Yearning to be with him and he won't even know your name!' Sailor Gaea thought, wanting to cackle.

'I said I would love nothing more than to drag you back into our world kicking and screaming. Now I finally get the chance.' Sailor Gaea thought as she watched the seal on Usagi's memories being broken.

On Usagi's forehead, under the light of the beam, the symbol of the Moon's royal family appeared in its rightful place. Giving a gentle gasp, Usagi closed her eyes as the memories came back to her from the seal that had kept them locked away.

Images of the final battle with Queen Beryl coming back first. Next, the time she had to face Dark Endymion. Then the battered and bruised forms of all her friends after facing the DD Girls.

'Who... Who am I? No! I don't want to fight anymore! I wanna be an ordinary girl! A ordinary girl! Nooooo!' Usagi thought, resisting with all her might, however was already drained by Vampir and unable to truly fight it.

Seeing the blonde struggle, Sailor Gaea spoke. "Get those helpless thoughts out of your head! You're not the same girl you used to be before becoming Sailor Moon or remembering you were the Moon Princess! I was trying to help you! I tried to show you that when you lost your memories of our friendship! Even if it's painful, we have to know some bad times or our lives are incomplete!"

"Now wake up!" Sailor Gaea yelled.

Gasping, Usagi opened her eyes as tears fled from her eyes. Her memories had returned.

Seeing this, Luna stood up and gently called out to the blonde. "Usagi..? Can you hear me?"

Looking down, Usagi gave the cat a sweet, yet sad smile. "Hey there. It's been a while since we last talked, huh Luna?" Looking up at Sailor Gaea and not having seen the face the girl had made before, Usagi greeted her happily. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble all this time, Ayame."

"You're you again! Your memory has all come back!" Luna cheered.

Sailor Gaea gave her friend a sweet smile. "So you remember who I really am. Welcome back, Sailor Moon."

"Mhm." Usagi answered, nodding her head.

"Everyone is in real danger! So you have to transform now!" Luna explained.

Sailor Gaea nodded. "When this is over and you feel like listening, we have a LOT of talking to do. Capisce?"

Usagi nodded as she stood up and shouted "Mhm! Moon Prism Power! Make Up!"

With both Sailor Guardians ready for action, they raced off into the night after Artemis and Vampir.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Artemis had managed to lead Vampir a good distance away. Unfortunatly, he could not run forever, the monster had caught up with him and the ensuing fight was not going well for the feline as he was knocked down once again.

Gritting his teeth, Artemis tried to endure the pain. He was overpowered and he knew it as the monster landed in its feet not far from him. Artemis had hardly left a scratch on it.

"Vampir!" The monster muttered as it landed perfectly. Opening the flower once again, the pistil launched forward towards its weakened prey. "Vampir!"

"Argh!" Artemis yelled as the plant wrapped around his neck and middle.

"Vampir..!" The monster cooed, happy to have caught the annoying pest.

Struggling, Artemis's body began to glow as he too was drained like Naru and the other two victims.

"Vampir!" It repeated, knowing there was no escape.

Letting out a weak groan, Artemis crumpled to the ground, trying to cling to the land of the conscious.

"Let him go, you monster!" Sailor Moon called out from above them, the girl in question standing on the rooftop with Luna and Sailor Gaea.

"Huh?" Vampir asked as it looked up at them. Saying the first word besides it's, presumably, name.

"I was finally able to go back to being an ordinary girl, but you dared to attack my friends, forcing me back to the battlefield without my consent! You are not considerate at all!" Sailor Moon scolded the monster.

"You forced me to break my promise to Sailor Moon, for her to live as a normal girl! You attacked my people! As the Guardian and Princess of Earth, I can not and will not forgive you!" Sailor Gaea shouted.

"Vampir!" It yelled angrily at them for interfering.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon declared with her favorite pose.

"I am Sailor Gaea! The protector of humanity and nature! On behalf of Mother Earth, I shall brighten the darkness and vanquish the evil within!" Sailor Gaea shouted right beside her.

Seeing the girls as a bigger threat than a cat, the monster released Artemis as he gasped in relief, now having an easier time breathing and not being drained.

"Vampir!" It shouted as the pistil lashed out at them. The girls gasping as they jumped out of the way.

Sailor Gaea couldn't help chuckling a little at her friends misfortune as the blonde dodged the attacks with little shrieks.

"Looks like someone is a little rusty." Sailor Gaea commented as she dodged.

Sailor Moon was unable to reply as the monster kept lashing out.

"Argh! Ooo!" Sailor Moon cried out, landing on the ground only to keep running as the pistil chased after her. Moving like sound waves along the ground. Unfortunately, it caught up with Sailor Moon and wrapped around her leg. Tripping her as the monster let out a bout of laughter.

"Oh..!" Sailor Moon groaned as she felt her energy being drained.

"Sailor Moon! No!" Luna cried. Artemis beside her as he struggled to get up.

"Oh-! I'm losing... my strength again..." Sailor Moon muttered weakly.

Sailor Gaea covered her face with her palm and pulled it down her face. Groaning as she muttered to herself. "Here we go again."

"Vampir..!" The monster cooed again.

"Let her go, you pathetic vampire excuse for a drag queen!" Sailor Gaea yelled as she attacked Vampir from behind, only for the monster to dodge and evade her as it manage to keep draining Sailor Moon.

The Sailor Guardian letting out a weak groan and struggling grunt, Sailor Moon tried to reach for her tiara. As for the monster, the flower changed. From where the pistil came from the flower, a hidden set of teeth opened to reveal a round maw. Vampire's arm extended and following the line the pistil created, rushed to take more than just a bite out of Sailor Moon.

Seeing this, Sailor Gaea cried out to her friend. "Sailor Moon!" However, she was unable to rush to her aid to to the monster due to the monster blocking her way and attacking her with its claws.

As the mouth came closer, Sailor Moon gasped at the distance it had already covered.

Running in to help, Luna jumped and latched on to the monster.

"Vampir!" The monster cried out as Luna bit into its arm.

The cat growling as she refused to let go. Seeing the opportunity, Sailor Gaea sliced the creatures arm, crying out in pain as it released Sailor Moon.

Still having the strength to stand, Sailor Moon yelled at the monster. "I have had enough!"

"Moon Tiara Action!"

"Dawn's Rose!"

The Sailor Guardians attacked.

"Vampir!" It screamed before a circle of light surrounded it and with a flash, its body was destroyed. It's last words similar to those that had come before it. "Cleansing!"

With the body gone, the monster left behind a single card with an image of itself on it as the last proof. As it landed on the ground, the image turned black and smoke billowed out of it.

Watching this, both Sailor Guardians gasped.

"Talk about a calling card." Sailor Gaea sneered as she picked it up and inspected it. She would have to take it to the guys and see what they could find from it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the guys arrived at Naru's house.

"Naru! Naru!" Nephrite called as he entered her room.

As he rushed through the open door to Naru's side, he let out a relieved sigh as Naru began to wake up with weak breaths.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back with the Sailor Guardians, Artemis groaned as he came around.

"Artemis!" Sailor Moon called out to him.

"Are you all right?!" Luna asked.

"Yeah!" Artemis answered, still a bit weak.

Sailor Moon sighed in relief as she spoke. "I'm exhausted!"

Sailor Gaea turned back to her friend and eyed her before practically growling at her. "Not as much as I have been, cleaning up after the Dark Kingdom!"

Sailor Moon gluped and quickly muttered an apology to placate her friend.

"Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea, was it?" A male voice asked.

"That's us!" Sailor Moon said before she opened her eyes and saw just who was addressing them. "-Argh!"

Floating in the air not too far from them was an image of two aliens. A male and female. The image rippled as if they were looking at them through a reflection on a lake.

"I had no idea someone like you was on this planet." The male spoke again.

"Who are you people?!" Sailor Moon demanded.

"And what do you want?!" Sailor Gaea shouted as she drew her sword.

"Nomadic Nobles of the universe. I'm Ali." The male, Ail, introduced himself.

"And I am An." The female, An, introduced herself.

"You two were the ones who sent that monster, weren't you?!" Sailor Moon accused them.

"Yes, but that was only a sneak peek of what's to come." An assured them.

"Very true." Ali agreed. The tow mocking them with evil laughter.

"Quite the calling card." Sailor Gaea said with huff and a glare, holding up the blackened card. "You call yourselves nobles, yet with the way you act, you are far from being nobles and I knew quite a few. More like vagabonds, squatters, and marauders. Trespassing onto my planet without notice or invitation, you have the audacity attack my people."

"Your planet?" An asked.

"As I said before, I am Sailor Gaea, protector and princess of this planet. You attack my citizens and show no signs of repentance for your actions. Therefore, you are unwelcome here and I will not rest until you are vanquished or driven off this planet." Sailor Gaea declared.

"Hm. To think there was nobility here. So be it. Farewell, Princess." Ali mocked as the two aliens laughed as disapeared.

Sailor Moon gasping as the image did so.

"Sailor Moon, it looks like those two are up to- Huh?" Luna started to say before she noticed something. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Sailor Gaea looked over at the blonde to see tears in the girls eyes. It almost made her feel sorry she dragged the girl back into their world. Almost.

"Give her a moment, Luna." Sailor Gaea told the cat.

"Goodbye, my ordinary life. It was fun while it lasted." Sailor Moon muttered to herself.

As the princesses gazed up at the moon, both steeled themselves for the fights to come.


	4. Sailor Guardians Once Again

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

To say there was an uproar among the Guardians of Earth about the new squatters taking up residence in Japan was an understatement. They were furious when they learned what had happened that night.

After Sailor Moon composed herself, which wasn't easy being the emotional girl she was, Usagi and Ayame returned to Naru's with their furry friends. As expected, when they arrived the guys were already there and were eager to know what was going on. Each of them had been worried about their princess after Naru explained from what she remembered happen about the attack. They did not pursue them seeing Naru had recovered and thought the monster vanquished already.

They were surprised to see Usagi there and when they learned she remembered now, their polite smiles faded to be replaced with scowls of anger and glares of bitter resentment. Poor Usagi didn't know what she did to make them so angry at her.

Seeing it was getting late, Ayame told Usagi she would explain tomorrow when they would sit down and talk about everything. Once they set up a time and place, Usagi left with Luna and Artemis.

With that settled, those left gathered around and had a Guardians of Earth meeting. Using the communicators, they contacted the other girls. Some of them were unhappy having another meeting so soon and at such a hour, but their complaints were soon washed away with the news of a confirmed new threat. Though, Nanami complained she didn't get to see the monster and use it for inspiration for the next anime she was working on.

Ayame explained what she knew about the new foes and gave the men the card she picked up of the monster. They promised they would analyze it and see if it was similar to the energy from the meteorite. It had only been a day since it came and now aliens? It was too much to be just a coincidence. Hopefully, they could use the card and any lingering energy to track down the enemy. Or at the very least know when the next monster would attack and be able to prepare and set up a preemptive strike to protect civilians.

When they asked about Usagi, she gave the same explanation she told Luna. She told them the monster was too much for her to fight alone and Usagi was the only one nearby to help. They accepted it and the girls were eager to let their pent up resentment be unleashed on the girl. Ayame insisted they try to wait until after she talked to Usagi to do anything and to not go crazy with it.

Warning them to be on guard from now on, they wished each other good night and prepared themselves for what was to come, whatever form it might take.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Ayame met up with Usagi in the Juban Shopping District. Sitting in a café by one of the windows the two girls sat across from each other. The air was tense between them as Ayame drank her tea.

Ayame had explained most of what happened over the last two months while Usagi had forgotten everything. She explained how she and the other Guardians of Earth had lived a normal life with the monsters of the Dark Kingdom all cleared out. Explaining how the guys all had civilian identities, jobs, and living happy lives now.

Now they had lapsed into silence after they had received their drinks.

Usagi couldn't help but feel there was more Ayame wasn't telling her. Everything Ayame had told her still didn't explain the glares the Four Kings of Heaven had given her last night.

As Ayame sat down her cup, Usagi jumped a little, making the girl smirk before getting serious. With the blonde's attention now focusing on Ayame, she placed her elbows on the table and threaded her fingers together, her chin resting on them.

"Usagi, I just want to know one thing."

Usagi gulped as she fidgeted in her seat.

Ayame cleared her throat and smiled for a moment before he faced morphed into a scowl. "What were you thinking when you erased everyone's memories of our friendship?!"

Usagi squeaked as she cowered in her seat, not having expected such an outburst.

"I understand wanting to forget being a Sailor Guardian, but going so far to erase even the time you spent as civilians was sloppy and irresponsible! You didn't even ask if the others wanted to forget. You forced your decision on them. The others and I have been trying to fix everything for over two months now. If it wasn't for us, you wouldn't be friends with Ami or Makoto right now. We've been trying to get the others together and introduce all of you for a while now." Ayame growled before sighing.

Ayame rubbed her head to fight off the growing headache. 'The past isn't the only thing she has forgotten. She's forgotten how selfishly stubborn she was. At the rate she was going, it seemed that she was never going to fall in love with Mamoru again.'

While she wasn't looking, Usagi had looked out the window guiltily. To her surprise and joy, Mamoru happened to walk past the window.

With a gasp, Usagi rushed out of the café.

Looking up at the noise, Ayame gasped as she saw Usagi run away towards her brother. "Usagi, wait! There's something you should know!"

Ayame tsked as the blonde ignored her call. She got up to follow the girl and stop her from making a fool of herself, but had to stop and pay for the bill too. Which only added to her anger at the blonde. As she rushed after the girl, a darker part of her couldn't wait to see Usagi's crushed reaction when Mamoru didn't remember her. 'Part one of my revenge is almost ready. This is going better than I hoped!' Ayame though with a chuckle.

For Mamoru, it was a normal day on his way to work as he waited for the light to change so he could walk across. He would have taken his car, but he felt like the exercise would be good for him. He just had this feeling he should. As he waited he didn't notice a certain blonde come up and stand beside him.

"Hey there, Mamoru?" Usagi greeted him as she wrapped her arms around his left.

"Whoa! Let go! What's going on?!" Mamoru demanded to know as he slightly freaked out. More than surprised at the blonde's sudden 180 in her actions towards him.

"You know perfectly well what's going on. Don't act so surprised." Usagi answered as she blushed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"But-But I am surprised. How is it you even know my name, Bun-head? Did Ayame tell you?" Mamoru asked, uncomfortable with what was going on and trying to figure why it was happening.

"C'mon! There's nothing endearing about the name Bun-head. When we're out in public together, why don't you just call me Usagi?" She offered.

Mamoru let out a strained chuckle before replying. "Your name is Usagi? Good to know!"

"What?! I can't believe it! How could you ever forget my name, Mamoru?" Usagi demanded to know, upset he had forgotten.

Rushing to their side, Ayame caught her breath before intervening.

"Usagi! Don't run off like that when someone is talking to you. I had to pay for the bill!" She scolded before turning to address Mamoru. "I'm so sorry if she bothered you Mamoru. She can act sometimes without thinking things through." Ayame apologized as she pulled Usagi off of him.

Straightneing his coat, Mamoru smiled as he ruffed Ayame hair.

"Don't mention it. It's okay, Ayame." He replied.

Ayame pretended to get upset with the attention as she tried to fix it. "I thought I asked you to stop treating me like a little kid. I'm fourteen, not four."

"Sorry." Mamoru spoke with a chuckle, showing he wasn't all that sorry. "You're just too cute. I can't help it."

Off to the side, Usagi felt her heart breaking. 'What's going on? Mamoru remembers Ayame... Why doesn't he remember me?'

Ayame turned back to her friend and seeing the sad look in the blonde's eyes made Ayame fill with glee on the inside. On the surface she smiled sadly as she moved over and whispered in the other girl's ear.

"This is what I was trying to tell you, Usagi. Before you ran off. I didn't want you to learn it like this. I hated having to tell you, that's why I had a hard time telling you. Mamoru doesn't remember anything that happened with the Sailor Guardians, the Dark Kingdom or our past lives."

At this, Usagi gasped. 'I get it now. Mamoru doesn't remember our former life together, like I do... Which means... he's forgotten how much we loved each other back then, too!' She thought with a whimper. Remembering the beautiful kiss he had giving her before the attack of the Dark Kingom on the moon.

'But why does he act so friendly with Ayame?' She wondered.

"This is why the guys were glaring at you last night. They were finally free and their prince was ripped away from them again. The reason he acts like this with me is because I've spent the last two months trying to get to know my brother again from scratch. It's all thanks to you, you did this to him Usagi, and the others. You forced him to forget and I lost my brother again." Ayame spoke sadly. Keeping the anger from her voice.

It was then the full consequences of her actions hit Usagi. She thought she was securing happiness, but she ripped away the happiness of others for her own selfish wishes. In her distress, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Mamoru's. Whimpering as she snuggled closer, seeking comfort from the man she loved yet didn't remember her.

"Hey, do you have a fever or something? What's the matter with you?" Mamoru asked, concerned for the weird girl latched on to him.

Across the street, Natsumi happened to be walking by and gasped at the sight of the boy she had seen yesterday.

With stars in her eyes, she clasped her hands together. "Oh! There's that cool guy. I wonder if he remembers me?"

Trying to get closer, Natsumi accidentally walked into traffic. Cars flying by as she stood on the narrow line dividing the street.

"Hey, Tsukino! Hold on to that guy! Don't let him get away, okay?!" Natsumi told the blonde as she waited for an opportunity to get closer.

"Natsumi?" Usagi asked incredulously. Shocked that her classmate was doing something so reckless.

"What? Not another weirdo! Oh, man! Let go of me!" Mamoru demanded as he tugged his arm out of Usagi's grasp. "I'm gonna be late for work!" He yelled as he crossed the street that wasn't flooded with traffic.

"You got a job?! What kind of work do you do? Where do you have to go?" Usagi asked, eager to know more about him.

"That's really none of your business! Ayame! You better not tell her where I work!" Mamoru shouted over his shoulder.

"Okay! Have a good day, Mamoru!" Ayame answered, waving him goodbye.

"Hey, I was just askin'!" Usagi whined. Looking at her friend, Usagi sent her a pleading look to tell her where Mamoru worked.

"Oh no, Usagi. He just asked me not to tell you. You won't get a peep out of me." Ayame told her.

Whining again, Usagi started to run after him, only to be forced to stop when Natsumi managed to cross the street.

"You're such a klutz! How could you not hold on to him? How difficult could that really be?" Natsumi demanded to know as Usagi struggled to get out of her hold.

As Ayame watched, she finally got a good look at Natsumi. She wore a black tank top underneath an off the shoulder sweater type shirt with a red and gold oval shaped pin in the center. Further down, was a red skirt and black leggings, and brown ankle boots to complete the look.

"Let go of me! Mamoru's getting away!" Usagi cried once she finally got Natsumi to let go.

"Oh really, his name is Mamoru? I didn't know that." Natsumi remarked as she moved Usagi out of the way, stars once again in her eyes.

"Mamoru! I'm Natsumi Ginga!" She called out, introducing herself even though he was already long gone.

"Back off! What do you think you're doing?! Mamoru's mine!" Usagi yelled.

"I don't think he feels the same way about you." Natsumi pointed out.

"Well maybe not at the moment..." Usagi muttered, back tracking a little, knowing Natsumi had a point. It wasn't like she could tell her about their past lives and stuff.

"Then that means Mamoru is fair game for both of us!" Natsumi cheered.

'Not if I have anything to say about it!' Ayame thought with a glare as she crossed her arms at the girl.

"Mamoru...I, Natsumi Ginga, will pierce your heart and all your passion receptor points with arrows of... adoring love!" She said aloud, daydreaming as she giggled.

Usagi made a disgruntled face at Natsumi's actions. 'Crazy stalker!'

Ayame couldn't help by sigh. 'Great. First Usagi had that boy that liked her. Now, to make matters worse, Mamoru has another girl besides Usagi after him. Now that Usagi remembers, the boy probably won't be much of a problem. But something about this Natsumi Ginga tells me she's going to be nothing but trouble.'

With yet another sigh, Ayame walked away. She had basically told Usagi everything she needed to know. If there were any other questions the blonde had, then they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

For now, Ayame had bigger problems to worry about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Heading over to the mansion, Ayame let herself in and headed straight to the library. Pulling down a book, a secret passage opened. Stepping down the stairs, she greeted the guys in the lab they had created down there.

At one table, Kunzite was pouring over books he had accumulated from the library, some of them had come from Elysion. After the fall of the Golden Kingdom, Helios had managed to recover many of the ancient tomes. With the new threat, Helios had sent some of the books, hoping there was something in them that might be related to the aliens that would give them an edge. Nephrite was helping him with the book while Zoisite was examining the card once again under microscopes and other machines that they had built to detect energy traces and anything else the might need.

Each one of them looked like they were exhausted. Jadeite was helping them keep their energy up by providing coffee and food. When she had greeted them, the most she received were grunts.

Rubbing his eyes and looking away from the books, Nephrite managed to give her a smile.

"Don't tell me you guys have been at this all night and day. While I will agree it's important to take care of this new threat as soon as possible, we need to be well rested so we can fight them at peak performance." Ayame told them as she walked up behind Nephrite and rubbed his shoulders. Making him groan in relief.

Standing up and stretching, Kunzite yawned as he took a break. "We know your highness. Sorry for making you worry."

Zoisite looked away from the microscope and rubbed his eyes.

Once she was done with the massage, Nephrite looked down at the book, guilt written on his face. "I just want to finish this as soon a possible. They attacked my sister. I wasn't there to stop the monster or protect her." He said as his hands drew up into fist.

"The enemy caught us all off guard. Now, that we know they are here, we'll be ready for them. We'll figure it out soon. We'll protect the people of Earth, and everyone else who is close to us. Don't worry." Ayame promised as she kissed his cheek.

Nephrite could help but smile a little.

"What have you found so far?" She asked as she sat down on a stool.

"Not much, I'm afraid." Kunzite answered. Grimacing as he looked at the stacks of books. There was a small pile of books Ayame assumed were the ones they had already gone through. There were still many piles to go through.

"We've scoured at least a dozen books and there is nothing. Earth wasn't exactly a space traveling planet during the Silver Millennium to begin with. So our knowledge of things outside of our planet is rather limited, much less something from outside our solar system. As you already know, contact between the Earth and Moon was limited at best. Though there were other planets that visited for diplomatic reasons, they were special exceptions and sharing knowledge wasn't always a priority. The Moon Kingdom wanted Earth to develop normally, guiding us when needed, but left to our own devices for the most part. So finding information on what exactly we are facing now is going to be hard to find." Nephrite spoke.

"Don't forget, most of the books were lost when the Dark Kingdom took over. Even if there was information on them, it might have been lost. Helios couldn't save all the books." Jadeite added as he jumped atop a stack of books.

Ayame nodded as she turned to Zoisite. Taking this as his cue, he spoke. "I've looked into the card you gave us with the computers and lab equipment. However, I am unable to retrieve the image that was once on it.

"What I have found from the lingering traces of energy, is that it is an extremely similar type of energy as the residue found at the crash site. The energy trace is closer to anything else I've compared it to from here on Earth. So close, I almost missed it honestly. I thought I was looking at the same thing."

"What makes the energy patterns different is the most interesting part. The energy from the crash site seems to have come from some organic plant based material of all things. From my findings, I believe this card originally came from whatever plant crashed here with the aliens. If it was a tree, then the card might have been made from the fibers. There is a definite connection between the two, though don't ask me how aliens are connected to a plant. What we do know is, if it wasn't already obvious, our little aliens arrived in the crash. Energy traces from the residue and the card proves it." Zoisite explained.

"Can you trace it?" Ayame asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I've tried that already and there is nothing. Our foe certainly knows how to cloak itself. If all their monsters are sealed in these cards, then we won't find any energy signatures until the activation of a card. If I had a stronger energy trace from the original source, or it released a strong output of energy, I might be able to locate them. But by then we would already know where it is and thus it would be a waste of time." Zoisite explained.

"I see... Thank you all for your hard work. Take a break for now, you all deserve it." Ayame told them.

Too tired to protest, the Four Kings of Heaven got up and headed upstairs. Following them, Ayame brushed against one of the stacks of books. Causing a book or two to fall to the floor. Picking them up, Ayame's eyes widen in shock of the image that was once on Vampir's card looking back at her.

"I found it!" She shouted.

Hearing this, the men came racing back down the stairs to see what she had found.

"It says here it's called a Cardian. Based off fortune telling, the number of cards varies from wielder to wielder. Energy is stored into the card as it is made or from the material the card came from. The image drawn on it creates the monster. There are many possibilities for what the card looks like and what their powers are. What they are used for depends of the wielder's wishes. It has been used by multiple species and races in not only the solar system, but in many places in the galaxy." Ayame read.

Looking at the next page, the book moved on to a different subject.

"Is that it!? There has got to be more than that!" Zoisite said as he took the book and rapidly began searching though the pages.

"That's enough, Zoisite!" Kunzite scolded him. Making the young man stop.

"If there is nothing more it says, then there's nothing more. At least we have a better idea of what we are up against. We are all tired and need some rest." Kunzite spoke as he took the book from Zoisite and placed it on the table.

Nodding, they left the lab.

"I'll tell the girls what we've discovered. I'll see you later." Ayame said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the Juban Odysseia, hidden in one of the apartment rooms that had been transformed, Ail stood in front of the tree. Watching helplessly as the leaves were once again withering away like the night before. The tree losing its glow.

"The Makai Tree, the very source of our life... is getting very weak. It's accumulated energy is running out." Ail observed with a worried frown.

Off to the side, Natsumi appeared out of no where, not even needing to use the door. "So! That effort was a waste, and depleted my resources." She complained.

Jumping over to join the other alien, Ann threw off her human disguise and revealed her true self. Leaning against his shoulder, she smiled sweetly at him before telling what she needed. "Ail, I'm gonna need more energy."

Ail looked at her before directing his gaze back to the tree. "An, there isn't much left. The Makai Tree is depleted."

"What?! Are you absolutely sure?" An asked, shocked it was happening so soon after harvesting some from just last night. Even with the Cardian destroyed, they managed to secure some energy. She didn't understand how this could happen so soon.

"Yes. To replenish it, we'll need to steal some life energy from the humans on this planet." Ail reminded her of their plan.

"I'd say we need to steal a lot..." An said with a smile as the two chuckled, taking pleasure from the though of draining more 'pathetic' humans.

Not wasting a moment, Ail pulled out the cards. Fanning them out for An to have multiple to choose from.

"Go ahead, An..." He encouraged her. "It's up to you to pick the right Cardian who is best suited for this energy-gathering task."

"Okay..." An complied as she pulled out a card, looked at the blank card, and flicked it up into the air.

Floating in the air, suspended above them, the card let out a small golden flash before revealing the image. Surrounded by stone columns, both standing and fallen over broken, a monster that looked similar to a satyr stood with her arms crossed over her chest. While she was like a satyr, the lower part body was more like that of a cow, with her orangish-brown coat, tail, and white horns on her head, big as an ox's horns. With blue skin, her hair was a darker shade of brown than her tail.

"Cardian Minotauron..." Ail said the monster's name aloud. Both Aliens smiling as the card began to glow again, the monster's eyes glowing red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some distance away, at TV-Ashita, there was a special meeting going on for a new tv drama. Something special about TV-Ashita was that it happened to be owned by a Mr. Teiso. The CEO of many talent agencies, who was the civilian identity of Kunzite.

In on of the projector room, the directors and other people behind the drama were gathered together.

"We've narrowed the search for the role of Mikan Shiratori's younger sister to these final candidates." One man told the others as he showed the first slide. The image of Naru, Ayame and Usagi shown playing volleyball. Usagi getting hit in the face.

"Forget her." One man said as he used a pointer and directed it at Usagi. "The others are good choices, especially this one." He continued, pointing at Ayame.

"I like her, too. Very natural looking." One of the older directors added, pointing at Naru.

The next slide showed Makoto wearing her karate robes. Poised to attack her opponent who stood before her, that person being Taura, wearing the same outfit.

"Any of these ten would be perfect for this series." Another commented.

The slide switching to Minako as she sniffed a pink flower. Kneeling beside her, Nanami held her sketch pad open as she drew the scene before her.

"It wasn't easy to find them." One man said.

The next slide showing Ami as she reached beside her desk to pick up some fallen school materials.

"Well now that you have, we need to bring them in to audition and go from there." The other said.

The next slide showed Jing with Hiroko standing in front of the Church Hiroko's uncle preached at.

"Let's get started. Set up the appointments as soon as possible."

The final slide showed Rei working at the shrine with Grandpa in the background.

"Yes, sir."

Unseen by the executives, Ail and An appeared in the room.

"What do you think of these girls?" An asked telepathically to her counterpart.

"I think they'll do nicely. They'll give us both a lot of energy." Ail replied in a whisper.

As the lights were turned on and the men in the room stood up, one of them was startled to see Ail and An. Thinking they were actors in costume, he began to scold them.

"Hey! How did you two get in here?! This screening room is for executives only. Extras casting is down the hall."

Moving away from the wall they were leaning against, An spoke to the man. "My mistake. I didn't know that. I apologize."

Here eyes began to glow and sending out a high pitched noise, the men in the room began screaming until they all passed out.

Seeing they would no longer be an issue, Ail couldn't help but chuckle.

"It would be so easy to steal energy from these humans. But let's wait." Ail suggested. "There's no need to stuff ourselves with a lesser grade. We'll get a much higher quality of energy from those young girls."

"I agree, but for now, these guys can help by turning over their staff to us." An suggested.

Causing both to chuckle as they prepared their trap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What?! Are you really gonna be on TV?!" Usagi spazzed, shouting it out for everyone in the classroom to hear.

Luckily no one was paying attention.

"Shh...Keep your voice down, Usagi!" Naru told her before sitting down.

"Oh..." Usagi uttered, realizing her mistake in her excitement.

"It might happen. I don't know." Naru explained.

"There's going to be other girls, too." Ayame added. "So there is no guarantee it will be either of us."

"The talent scout who spotted us, now wants us to go to some big audition down at the TV station." Naru explained further.

"Mmm... That's cool!" Usagi gushed impressed, but with less enthusiasm that before.

"So, Usagi..." Naru started.

"What is it?" Usagi asked, leaning in to see what was wrong.

"You know how I seem to have a knack for getting involved in strange situations?" Naru asked, using air quotes for strange situations.

Each of them knowing full well what those situations were now that Usagi had her memories back. It was easier to talk about it, but they still had to be careful no one overheard them.

"I'm worried this might be another one of those. While I know I can rely on Ayame, I still can't help but feel worried." Naru explained.

"Stop worrying! And besides, they don't happen to you all that often. I'm sure you're gonna be just fine!" Usagi insisted.

"You really think so?" Naru asked, hope growing within her.

"Oh course!" Usagi insisted.

Ayame scowled at Usagi before speaking. "Excuse me, Usagi, but these incidents have been happening more often that you think! First it was the Jadeite with the jewelry store. After that was the time with the Kijin and the camera monster. Next she was attacked at the mall by Nephrite, and after that, at that ball for the Diamond Embassy. Then she was kidnapped by Zoisite. Then attacked by the Rainbow Crystal monster, Boxii. Then the time Zoisite was after her at the amusement park. Oh, and don't forget that time with Kunzite and his monster Oniwabandana. And finally, the latest incident with Vampir! That is NINE times, Usagi! Nine times! She has every right to be worried!"

Ayame panted as she ended her rant.

"Oh..." Usagi uttered, suddenly sheepish. She didn't really have a comeback for that. "Well, I could go with you if that would make you feel better, Naru. Just in case you're right. You'll be safe with me and Ayame there to protect you!"

With a gasp of joy, Naru got out of her seat and clasped Usagi's hands.

"You would do that? You really are my very best friend!" Naru gushed happily.

Meanwhile, Usagi couldn't help chuckling at her thoughts. 'Once I'm there, I bet I'll be able to wrangle my way in to get an audition, too!'

She thought as she imagining herself in a pink dress with a crown on her head, smiling under a spotlight while holding a bouquet of pink roses. Her other hand holding up a peace sign as confetti rained down from above. A sash reading, 'YOU'RE A STAR', on it.

'That's all it'll take. I'm a shoo-in for the role! Next thing you know, I'm on my way to stardom!' Usagi thought with a bout of laughter. Her cheeks flushed as she started to drool.

Seeing her friends actions, Ayame swiftly grabbed Usagi's ear, giving it a yank as she pulled the blonde closer to whisper in her ear. "I know what you're thinking, Usagi. You're not getting an audition. Your face is like a magnet for volleyballs and you would probably trip over props and the set." Ayame told her before letting the blonde go.

"Besides, you have bigger problems to worry about. The new enemy and getting my brother to fall in love with you again." Ayame reminded her.

Usagi gasped. "You're right, Ayame! If I become a star, I'd be too busy chasing away my fans, Mamoru wouldn't be able to get close to me! That settles it! Forget stardom for now! I can it do after he remembers me! Mamoru will remember me and you can help me, Ayame!" Usagi cheered.

Ayame scoffed. "My team and I were doing that from the very beginning. Of course I'm helping. For now, let's focus on helping Naru."

Nodding, Usagi began daydreaming of the day Mamoru would remember her.

Ayame looked forward to it too. As much as she hated to admit it, Usagi was her best chance at getting her brother back. Both hoped the day was coming soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later during the day, small groups of girls were slowing making their way to TV-Ashita. The first of these walking to the station together was Taura and Makoto.

"Oh! Miss Kino! Miss Cox!" Ami greeted the girls as she walked up to them. The bluenette happy to see familiar faces.

Stopping, Makoto turned to speak to Ami with a smile. "Well, it looks like the rumors are true. Class Five's girl genius is going to audition for this TV show, as well." Makoto spoke.

"Hello, Ami. Nice to see another familiar face." Taura greeted, standing beside the brunette.

"Yes," Ami nodded, agreeing with Taura before she explained her situation. "Some person from the TV station called and insisted that I come and try my luck." Ami confirmed before looking at the station, worry creeping into her voice. "But I don't know if I can take the time away from my studies."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find a way to do both." Makoto assured her.

Coming up from behind them, Minako, Nanami, Rei, Jing, and Hiroko joined them.

"Excuse me." Minako interjected. "Are you three, by any chance, here for the TV show audition?"

"Yeah." Ami answered hesitantly.

"We sure are." Makoto answered.

Taura looked behind Rei and Minako to see her friends and smiled at them. "Jing, Nanami, Hiroko! I didn't know you were auditioning too!"

"You know each other?" Rei and Minako asked their classmates.

"Yep! The four of us have been friends for quite a while. We've been meaning to introduce everyone to each other. This couldn't have turned out better!" Jing cheered.

"Well, then, why don't we all go in together? I heard that these TV stations are pretty big, and it's easy to get lost in them." Rei suggested.

"We are all going to the same place." Hiroko added.

"But first, we should introduce ourselves. I'm Rei Hino." Rei began.

Jing, Nanami, Hiroko and Taura looked at each other, they already knew each others names, but shrugged, and went along with it. They thought they might as well since the other girls didn't know them. They hadn't planned to get the girls together yet, but this did make their job easier.

"I'm Jing Lin." She introduced cheerfully, hopping up and down in place.

"Hiroko Hara. Rei, Jing, and I all go to T·A Academy for Girls and we are friends." Hiroko explained, greeting them with a little more calm than her friend.

"Oh, and I'm Makoto Kino." Makoto introduced herself.

"I'm Ami Mizuno." Ami introduced herself shyly.

"I'm Taura Cox. I go to school with Ami and Makoto at Juban Middle School." She said as she patted the girls on their backs.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Minako Aino." Minako greeted happily, though lacking the amount of enthusiasm as Jing.

"I'm Nanami Kojima. Artist extraordinaire and fellow classmate of Minako here." Nanami greeted.

"Hi there. Good to meet you!" They each greeted yet again now that introductions were over.

Taura, Hiroko, Nanami, and Jing were each watching the others closely. Hoping to see some recognition from the girls with them. A sign that the seal on their memories was weakening. They saw when one by one, each girl let out a gasp. The first being Rei, next Makoto, then Ami, and finally Minako.

Looking at each other, they gave each other bewildered looks.

"Is it possible that the eight of us have met somewhere before?" Rei asked.

"No. This is a first. I think." Ami said, unsure.

"But it is sort of odd. I feel like we're not strangers." Minako added.

"That's weird. I'm picking up the exact same vibe." Makoto spoke, sharing her thoughts.

"Well, me and the others already know each other. Maybe you guys heard about each other from us." Jing offered an explanation.

"Who knows, we may have all met in a past life." Nanami added, making Jing, Hiroko, and Taura laugh at their inside joke only they understood.

Looking at each other, the Sailor Guardians of The Four Winds of Earth, shared knowing smiles. Each feeling like the others are starting to remember. Happy the plan was working.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, inside the station at the Audition room for the role of Mikan Shiratori's sister, there was a little trouble going on.

Dressed in casual clothing, Ayame wore a yellow and green plaid button up shirt, over which was a red button up sweater. Along with white, rolled up shorts and black stockings covering the rest of her legs and a pair of sneakers.

"Huh?! What do you mean I can't go in! That's so not fair!" Usagi whined.

"That's the rule... You can't go inside unless you're on the list to audition." The guard told her, making her back up a little.

"Ah, c'mon! Can't you just make an exception just this one time for me?" Usagi asked, trying to act sweet and cute.

"Sorry! No can do. Now, why don't you just go home." The guard suggested.

"Sorry I made you come." Naru apologized.

Ayame sighed as she ushered Naru in before walking over to Usagi. "I told you, you wouldn't get in. And that's not how you get what you want. I'll see you after the audition. Don't make a fuss while we're gone and no snooping around."

Walking in from the other direction, the others headed to the audition room.

Seeing her former guardians, Usagi couldn't help but gasp along with Luna who was in her arms. Usagi tried to wave her arm at them and greet them, but hesitated. Both because of her joy to see them and recalling they too didn't remember who she was.

"Welcome... If you ladies are here for the audition, please sign in and wait inside this room." The guard informed them.

Rei and Minako each gave Usagi a curious glance before heading into the room while Makoto and Ami smiled and waved.

'Looks like everyone's doing okay.' Usagi thought happily.

Then the rest of the girls pulled up from the end of the line. Each one looking at Usagi and in unison, the four girls pulled down one of their lower eyelids and stuck out their tongues at her before entering the room.

Leaving Usagi baffled at their actions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting down in the chairs provided, Ayame and Naru were pleasantly surprised to see the others. Gathering around, the girls didn't hesitate to chat with one another. Rei, Minako, Makoto, and Ami watched them and felt a pang of longing. Each one slightly envious of them, deep down wanting to be a part of such a close knitted group like theirs.

But, it all came to an end when a man in a suit came in.

"Thank you all for waiting... We are now ready. The audition process will begin in a moment." The man announced.

Standing up, Ami addressed the man. "Sir, I'm going to have to turn down this audition. I really don't have the time to be here right now."

The man ignored her as he grabbed the end of a curtain and pulled it open, revealing a set behind.

Gasping, the girls looked in amazement of the scene before them. It had a Greek or Roman ruin theme with columns lining a street, many fallen or broken in spots. There was even a small statue of what looked like a sphinx. In the sky was a night full of stars, and five moons. It was the prefect set for a sci-fi flick.

"This set is amazing!" Naru complemented, the group stepping on to the set.

Farther in, standing on one of the remaining columns, the girls weren't alone.

"By all means, take a good look at everything. Because it's going to be your last." Ail promised them.

Ayame gasped at the sight of the alien and his partner. Anger filling her as she glared at them. 'It's them again.'

The others gasping at the sight of them, thinking they were actors.

Ail and An chuckling as they looked down upon them. Their eyes flashing as they stood on the column before them.

"Hello? Excuse me! I'm afraid with my heavy study schedule, I just won't have the time to appear in a TV drama. Thank you for calling me in, but I need to go home and study right now." Ami told them in a rush, repeating what she had told the man before. Bowing, she headed back the way they came.

"You're not going anywhere!" Ail yelled at her before bringing his flute to his lips and let the music play.

Ami gasping at the beautiful sound.

Bringing out the preselected card, An called out the monster's name before flicking it out into the air. "Come forth, Minotauron!"

The image appearing again as the card flashed and let out a bright light. The monster forming before their eyes. "Mi-no!"

The cardian was different from how it looked on its card. The brown fur covering more of her body, only leaving a patch showing her naval. On her shoulders and just above her knees were skulls. The monster also wore a band of gold on her left arm. Around her neck another ring gold.

"Is that some kind of special effect?" Minako asked, shocked.

"I thought we were auditioning for a family drama, not a monster show." Makoto recalled.

"Judging by the scenery, it's more of a Sci-fi than a monster show." Nanami pointed out.

Jumping down from the ruins, Minotauron landed in front of Ami.

"It's not a special effect. It's real!" Ami declared, whimpering in fear as she backed away. The monster smirking at her.

"Go, Minotauron! Absorb every drop of energy from these girls!" Ail ordered.

Pawing the ground with her hoof, the cardian acted just like a bull before charging, yelling out a shorten version of it's name. "Mi-no!"

"Run!" Ami yelled as they all ran away.

Screaming as they fled.

Ayame cursing their luck in her mind as they ran. Looking for something to use as a distraction so she could hide long enough to transform and fight the monster off before it hurt Naru or the others. She made a mental note that the next time Naru got a bad feeling about a monster possibly showing up, she would listen to her.

Ail couldn't help himself as he chuckled at their plight. "I love the screams of young women. They're more beautiful than any sound a musical instrument could ever make!"

"That's the sickest thing I've ever heard!" Nanami yelled as she ran.

"Stupid pervert!" Jing yelled.

"Ail! Stop reveling it in." An scolded her partner. "Let's hurry up and steal their energy before it runs out!"

"You've got to be kidding me, An! Why should I miss the opportunity to enjoy such exquisite art?" Ail questioned her in disbelief.

"Well! I don't have any patience for this! I'm gonna go somewhere else and gather energy in my human form!" An declared.

Reappearing at the edge of the set, Natsumi flipped her hair. "Hmph!"

While the aliens were distracted, Ayame and her team split off from the rest of the group.

"It can't chase after all of us. We'll go this way and try to lead it away. Whichever group it doesn't go after, try to get to the exit and call for help!" Ayame told them, hoping the monster would chase them. As they split up, the cardian unfortunately chased after the others.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ayame and her team ran to hide behind the columns and other props. Nodding to the others, they began to transform.

"Gaea Founding Power! Make Up!"

"Zephyrus Power! Make Up!"

"Notus Power! Make Up!"

"Eurus Power! Make Up!"

"Boreas Power! Make Up!"

As for the rest of the girls still being chased by Minotauron, they were still screaming as they ran for their lives. Their breathing panicked and rapid. Unable to pace themselves.

Watching them, Ail hadn't even noticed some were missing, chuckling with sadistic glee.

"It's no use! She's gonna get us for sure!" Ami said, running at the back of the group, Naru was unfortunately slowing down, growing tried from all the running.

"Where's the exit?" Minako asked. "Did the others get out?"

"I can't run anymore! I'm too tired!" Naru told the others as she tripped.

Behind the, Minotauron was laughing at them closing in on her prey.

Ami and Minako rushed to Naru's aid while Makoto got into her defensive pose. Rei grabbed the strap of her purse and readied to use it like a whip.

"I'm not sure if we stand a chance, but it's far better than just running around!" Rei said.

"Couldn't of said it better myself." Makoto agreed.

Throwing her purse at the monster, Minotauron screamed as she brushed off the objects.

"Rin-Pyo-To-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen! Evil Spirit, be exorcized!" Rei shouted as she placed the spell tag on the Cardian's face. Making it scream.

Makoto grabbed the monster's hand and with a yell, flipped it over her shoulder.

"Ahh!" It yelled as it went head first into a column, the rest collapsing on it.

Hiding among the other props, Luna praised them. "Amazing! They're able to hold their own against evil even without their Guardian Powers!"

Unfortunately, the monster wasn't down for good. Up from the rubble, the Cardian's horns rose into the air.

Making the girls gasp. Naru lying against a wall to rest while the others stood wary of the monster's next move.

"That thing's no ordinary monster!" Rei told the others, having experience with spirits.

"Mi-no!" It yelled in rage.

Ignoring the others, Minotuaron jumped over them to reach a weaker prey. Smirking in glee while it had Naru cornered.

"Naru!" Rei cried.

Seeing this, Sailor Gaea gasped and motioned Sailor Eurus. Nodding, she quickly moved into position as did the others.

Meanwhile, seeing what was before her, Naru screamed. "Go away!"

With a growl, the Cardian ignored her pleas. Lowing it's head, Minotuaron lined up it's horns as they extended towards her. Naru screamed in fear.

"Oh, no you don't! Autumn's Labors!" Sailor Eurus yelled as she jumped out of hiding. The top of the mace shooting out like a ball of a cannon and hitting the horns off course. Making the monster growl in rage.

"What!?" Ail yelled as he saw these interlopers.

Jumping out of hiding, the others circled the monster, while Sailor Gaea checked on Naru.

"You again!" He growled at the sight of Sailor Gaea.

"I warned you before Ail. I would not rest until you were vanquished or driven off this planet. This time I brought my comrades with me." Sailor Gaea told him before addressing Naru. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Naru nodded before turning to the one who saved her. "Thanks, Sailor Eurus!"

"It was my pleasure." She replied.

Growling in anger, Ail glared at them.

"Come on everybody, stay focused! While they keep the monster busy we've got to hurry up and get out of here as soon as we can! Put her on my back, I can carry her!" Makoto told the others as they helped Naru to her feet, who was still tired from all the running.

"Lift her up!" Ami directed as they helped her.

"Thanks." Naru told them, her body shaking from fear and knees shaking from how tired she was.

"Damnit! Where's An? She should be here at a time like this! Minotauron! Do your job. Finish them off now!" Ail ordered his monster.

"Mi-no!" She shouted as she prepared to charge at one of the girls.

"You'll have to go through us before you even have a chance at getting them!" Sailor Zephyrus declared.

Ignoring them Ail disappeared.

"What should I do? Sailor Gaea and the others might need help for this one! Autumn's Labors didn't even crack that thing's horns! I better think of something fast or they'll die!" Luna fretted.

Taking the chance to run, the girls headed away from danger, their breathing heavy as they did so.

Closing in on the monster, Minotuaron could see what they were doing and it's targets were getting away, once again, it jumped over them and raced after the others.

"Get back here! Winter's Tundra!" Sailor Boreas shouted. Unfortunately, the bolts of ice missed as the monster even charged through a few of them and shattered them. Shocking the girls.

"Not good!" Sailor Notus yelled as the five of them ran after the monster. Trying to hit it as they ran.

"I'm gonna have to reawaken them as Sailor Guardians before it's too late!" Luna resolved.

Ahead of them, the rest of the girls were panting as they raced on.

The monster screaming both at the girls it was chasing and the ones chasing her.

"It's a dead end!" Makoto cried, the girls turning around to face their tormentor.

"Hmph!" It huffed, before laughing at them.

"We got you now!" Sailor Zephyrus shouted.

"Stop right there!" Sailor Moon shouted from above, making everyone turn to look up at her.

"Oh, now she shows up." Sailor Gaea muttered.

"Huh?" Minotuaron asked.

Looking up, Sailor Moon stood atop a statue that reminded Sailor Gaea of a hippo.

"I don't know what's really going on here. As a matter of fact, I am totally clueless!" Sailor Moon confessed.

From her hiding spot, Luna couldn't help but sigh in aggravation. "You're not supposed to tell them that!"

"Sailor Moon, you idiot!" Sailor Gaea shouted at her, facepalming.

"But I can't forgive you for whatever you're doing, even though I don't know what it is!" Sailor Moon continued to shout.

"She's attacking people and stealing their energy! It's the same basic gist as the last foes we faced!" Sailor Gaea shouted, explaining.

Glaring at her, Minotuaron growled in annoyance.

"So in the name of the Moon... I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon shouted, finishing her speech.

"Mi-no!" It shouted as it's horns extended smashing through the rock of the statue. Luckily, Sailor Moon jumped out of the way in time.

"Who are they?" Makoto asked as they watched the ensuing fight.

"I'm so close to remembering something, but I don't know what!" Minako said as she held her head.

"Stay there. I'm gonna turn you back into a good girl!" Sailor Moon ordered as she raised her hand, expecting to have her Moon Stick appear. Only her hand remained empty. Realizing this, she looked down at her hand in worry and confusion. "Uh-oh! Where's my Moon Stick?"

"You lost it back at D Point, remember?" Sailor Gaea shouted.

Sailor Moon gasped as she remembered. "Right." Looking up, she screamed as the monster charged at her. "Ahh!"

"You didn't worry about this last night! Besides, this thing was never a good girl! She was never human. She's a card! Once we defeat her she'll turn back into one just like Vampire did! Just think of it as one of Jadeite's old monsters!" Sailor Gaea shouted.

Growling, Minotuaron continued to attack Sailor Moon as she screamed and fumbled away from it.

"What's wrong with her? She's so useless. I guess it's up to me to handle this!" Rei told them as she cracked her knuckles before catching herself. "Hold on, why did I just say that?"

"Rei! She's starting to remember. And so are the others! Watching Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea is causing them to regain their memories!" Luna observed.

Screaming her lungs off, Sailor Moon couldn't run forever as she was pinned against a wall and Minotuaron pined her between her horns. Without any hesitation, it began to drain Sailor Moon.

"No! I'm losing... my strength..." Sailor Moon weakly protested.

"Mi-no!" It shouted as it lifted its horns up along with the limp body of Sailor Moon.

"So much for handling things by herself!" Luna said as she raced towards Naru and the others.

"That cat's talking!" Minakk exclaimed.

Making Luna stiffen as she looked back at them.

"What's going on here?" Ami asked.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag, so to speak. Sailor Moon's not able to handle this, please help her." Luna begged them.

"Help her with what?" Ami asked.

Luna did not answer the crescent mark on her forehead glowed, sending out four different beams to each of the former Sailor Guardians.

Turing to watch, the Four Winds of Earth Guardians spoke to each of them.

"Sailor Mercury." Sailor Zephyrus addressed her as the symbol of her planet appeared in the glow of the beam.

"Sailor Venus." Sailor Boreas addressed her as the same happened for Minako.

"Sailor Mars." Sailor Notus spoke, though she was somewhat irritated.

"Sailor Jupiter." Sailor Eurus addressed the girl as symbol of her planet appeared in the glow of the beam.

Each one remembering the moments of the final battle against the Dark Kingdom.

"Usagi... No...Sailor Moon!" Rei realized.

"I remember everything now!" Minako exclaimed.

"We're guardians... the four Guardians that protect the Princess!" Makoto declared.

"That's right! How could we have just forgotten all this?" Ami scolded herself.

Smiling, the Four Winds of Earth tossed their transformation pens which they easily caught.

"Mercury Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Make...Up!" They all shouted as they transformed.

Meanwhile, Sailor Gaea was trying to attack Minotuaron to get it to stop draining Usagi. The beast evading her as it laughed in her face. Now that the others had awakened once again, they jumped into action.

"Bubble Spray!"

With the fog to cloud it's vision, Minotauron stopped thrashing about, giving Sailor Venus the opportunity to rescue Sailor Moon from the beast's horns. Making the beast grunts as it adjusted to the previous weight removed.

With an opening to attack, Sailor Jupiter thundered right in. "Supreme Thunder!"

The Cardian screaming in pain.

Next Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus took shots at the foe that had once tormented them.

"Fire...!"

"Crescent...!"

"...Soul!"

"...Beam!"

The attacks combining as the beast gave once last scream. "Cleansing!"

Unable to stand the onslaught, Cardian reverted back to it's true form. The card falling to the ground and slowly turning black as smoke escaped the image.

Seeing their success, the girls couldn't help but let out a bout of giggling.

"Curses! We didn't know there were ten Sailor Guardians!" Ail yelled at them as he and An appeared once again in the rippling image.

"We'll get you for this!" An promised before they disappeared until the next time.

"You're back!" Sailor Moon cheered as she got up.

"Oh boy. You really do need our help. You never could defeat bad guys by yourself." Sailor Mars remarked.

"That's why we're here!" Sailor Jupiter added.

Gathering around the reawakened guardians, Sailor Gaea greeted them. "Welcome back everyone. We're glad to have you with us. I hope we can look forward to having you join us against this new threat."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later, the two sets of guardians, Naru, and the Four Kings of Heaven gathered at the Hikawa Shrine.

"Guess what? I heard that Mikan Shiratori collapsed from total exhaustion, so the TV drama was canceled." Minako told the others.

"Oh no. That's really too bad. But it's a relief to only have to focus on my studies again." Ami said, looking on the bright side of things.

"Sorry about the series. I hope you're not too disappointed it was canceled." Jing told Teiso, or Kunzite.

Kunzite huffed. "It's not your fault. Though, I will admit it's bad for business since it puts us behind schedule. I'll come up with something. I might even start an anime about the Sailor Guardians." He joked.

"Yeah, but it sucks that we're gonna put up with fighting alongside Usagi again. I'd much rather do that TV drama." Rei complained.

"Sorry everyone. If Usagi had been more competent on her own, you could have continued living peaceful lives." Luna apologized.

Jadeite growled at her. "I've already told you, the peace is over. We can't ignore this."

"Personally, I like this better. The people of the Earth and the Moon working together to protect the same planet. The more the merrier as they say. This way the Earth is better protected." Naru pipped up.

"Yeah. They're right. It couldn't be helped. A new enemy has appeared on the scene, and we have a mission. It's our duty to defend the Earth from them, right?" Makoto asked.

"Mhm." The others answered.

Laughing, Usagi spoke. "That's right! But I'd rather play!" She confessed.

"Well, she didn't forget how to be a dork." Luna muttered.

For the Guardians of Earth, they huffed in exasperation.

"I'm okay with the others being back, but are we sure about Usagi?" Taura asked.

"Can we seal away her memories and keep the others? It would make this a lot easier." Zoisite suggested.

"No, Zoisite. We can't. It wouldn't be fair to the others and we need all hands on deck." Ayame declined.

"Hopefully, this time she will actually mature. She didn't start crying this time when she was fighting, that's progress." Hiroko added, trying to help.

"With the others to protect her, she's not totally hopeless." Jing added.

"Now all we have to do is bring back Mamoru's memories!" Usagi declared as she giggled.

"She's completely forgotten that we still have an enemy to defeat." Nanami huffed.

"I'm beginning to question our prince's choice in girls." Nephrite muttered.

"Brother chose her, we must respect that. We defeated the Dark Kingdom. I know we can do it." Ayame encouraged them.

Smiling, her team nodded.

As Ayame watched the others, she knew she would have her hands full, but she was happy they were all together again. When her brother joined them, her world would be complete.


	5. The Moonlight Knight Appears

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

From that day on, things began to settle into a new routine. While on the look out for the enemy, Ayame now spent time with not only her Guardians, but also the Guardians of the Moon.

It was late as Ami finished her cram school for the evening. The trains flying pass on the tracks. After remembering who she was in her past life and her duty as a Sailor Guardian, she was surprised at first to see Usagi waiting for her afterward. It had sadly become a common sight now.

The ditsy girl had asked for help with school work before when Ayame had introduced them and became friends again. Now with their memories back, Usagi didn't hold back asking for help on all sorts of subjects. Whether it be homework or a big test coming, as was the case this time.

"Please Ami? C'mon! Take pity on your poor little lost Usagi and tell me the questions and the answers to tomorrow's big test! C'mon! Puh-lease?" Usagi begged as clung to Ami's shoulder.

Beside Usagi, Ayame was trying to gently pry the blonde off the bluenette. She had been trying to get the blonde to actually study instead of going to Ami for everything. Off to the side, Makoto stood looking away. Pretending what was happening had nothing to do with her and being the innocent bystander.

"Listen, Usagi!" Ami demanded, raising her voice as she removed her shoulder from Usagi's grasp.

Ignoring Ami's tone, Usagi took this as a sign the bluenette had relented to her request.

"I knew I could count on you!" Usagi exclaimed as sparkles appeared around her and in her eyes.

Beside her, Makoto gave Ami her full attention as she pulled out a small pink notebook to jot everything down.

"Even if I were to give you all the right answers Usagi, if you don't understand them, it would only end up hurting you later in life." Ami firmly told her.

Even without looking, Ayame knew the blonde would be starting the waterworks in an attempt to gain Ami's pity. When she did look, she was correct.

"But...tomorrow's big test from hell will hurt more and I'm always failing those big tests. I'm like a 'drowning person trying to grasp at a string rope!'" Usagi misquoted.

"Do you mean you're 'grasping at straws'?" Ami offered, correcting the girl.

As the blonde continued to give Ami a teary-eyed look, Makoto placed a comforting hand on the bun heads shoulder. "Usagi, you're asking Ami for way too big a favor."

Turing to her friend, Usagi huffed before asking. "So then explain why you're here too, Mako?"

"Oh well-I figured if I ask Ami some questions, then acing tomorrow's test would be a total cinch!" Makoto confessed sheepishly.

'Meaning, she's here for the exact same reason Usagi is.' Ayame thought with a sigh.

"Just listen to both of you! We're going to be third-year students next year! When it comes to your studies, it's time you get serious!" Ami scolded them.

"Usagi, Makoto, Ami is right. The things you learn in the future is founded on the things you learn now. Without a sound foundation, the house will collapse in a manner of time. It's okay to ask for help when you don't understand the material, but asking for the questions and answers won't help anything. The future is always coming. You can't outrun it. You need to at the very least make it to third-year. While you don't have to finish high school, since compulsory education in Japan is only to ninth grade, it's better for you to get higher education." Ayame told them before glaring at Usagi.

"Besides, Mamoru doesn't date completely stupid girls." Ayame told her making Usagi freak out. The girl beginning to sweat and freak out.

Ignoring Usagi, Ayame continued. "Anyway, don't even try to make the excuse you don't have time to study. Even with my duties and the new enemy, I still make an effort to find time to study. After the fighting is over, you still have your entire civilian life ahead of you. It's okay to enjoy life, but there are important things you need to take seriously before it's too late."

"You're so right..." Makoto admitted.

Calming down from the panic attack Ayame had sent her in, Usagi realized something. "With Ami's help, I'll ace my test and Mamoru will still date me!" She cheered before turning to the others. "Anyway, when that time comes, we'll both figure someway around it." Usagi replied flippantly.

This answer caused Ayame to growl. "I do hope that isn't the attitude you have adopted to getting my brother to remember you! Otherwise he'll never remember at this rate! I for one want my big brother back!"

Usagi gulped at Ayame's tone and before she could say anything, a male screams interrupted them.

"Huh?" The girls asked as they raced off to investigate.

Across the street, down close to the train tracks, a boy was the source of the scream. He was average by most standards. His hair brown and his eyes blue. He wore a blue boys school uniform.

Before him, he faced something he had never even dreamed of. Before him was a pink lion. It's main and end of its tail was white. Almost as white as it's razor sharp fangs. It's eyes an emerald green as it gazed at him with a ravenous look.

Above the beast was a black wheel with eight spokes connecting the outer rim to the center. It looked like a wagon wheel or even an old spinning wheel.

But the boy was to focused on the beast before him to pay attention to that. His breathing irregular as his heart raced with fear.

"Phalion!" The creature called out it's name before it roared at him.

With the sound of its own mighty roar, the wheel above begun to spin. The wheel changing as it spun, from black to nearly transparent as thin green lines were all that were left. The roar sending another round of fear into the boy as his breathing became even more panicked. The boy screamed in pain as his energy was drained away, filling the wheel.

Racing towards the boy, Makoto screamed at the monster. "Stop that!"

Amazingly, the beast did as it was told, the wheel stopped spinning. Leaving the boy standing with most of his energy left.

"Mako, no, stay away!" The boy warned her.

At the sound of her nickname, Makoto became distracted as she addressed the boy that apparently knew her. "Kenji, is that you...?!"

Ignoring this, Phalion didn't hesitate to attack it's new prey. "Phalion!"

Gasping, Makoto didn't have time to dodge the incoming attack as it leaped at her with its sharp claws.

"Mako! Watch out!" Kenji warned her as he didn't hesitate to throw himself in harms way, pushing the both of them out of the lions line of attack. However, Kenji made a miscalculation. While Makoto landed on the grassy ground, there was a ridge that lead down closer to the tracks. A fence divided the area so people wouldn't wander in. With a scream, Kenji went over the ridge and fell down to the unrelenting, harsh ground below.

Lifting her head up, Makoto looked for her friend, only to realize where he had gone. "Oh no-Kenji!" She cried, looking down, she could see had had gotten hurt. His blood staining the ground he had fallen upon.

"Phalion!" The beast roared again as it went after Makoto.

Turning to face the monster, Makoto could only grunt.

"Oh no!" Ami cried as she, Usagi, and Ayame managed to cross the street in time to see what was happening.

Usagi gasping at the sight.

"Oh no you don't, you furry flea bag!" Came a shout from the familiar voice of Zoisite.

"You better not be meaning me!" Came Jadeite's.

Turning, the beast and the girls looked to find the source of the shout when a blue lion lunged at the pink, sending the two kings of the jungle tumbling as they clawed and bit at each other.

Recognizing the blue lion, Ayame shouted it's name. "Leo!"

Joining them, Nephrite, Kunzite, Jadeite, and Zoisite appeared on the scene. Each of them, except for Jadeite, wore their uniforms from their time as Prince Endymion's knights and wielded their swords.

Phalion manged to kick Leo off of it and as it looked around, it noticed it was surrounded. Not liking the odds, the monster scrammed. Its form turning the same shade of green as the wheel before turning into a ball and hurtling itself into the wheel. Disappearing without a trace.

"Huh?" Ami and Usagi questioned.

"Damn it! Just when we managed to track it and close in on it!" Nephrite yelled.

"We'll get it next time." Kunzite assured him. "With the new system we all created, we'll be able to know when it strikes again. For now, we have more important matters."

"Kenji!" Makoto cried as she ignored them and raced down a set of stairs to her friends side.

"Is he alright, Mako?" Everyone asked as they rushed over.

Kneeling beside him, Makoto tried calling out to him. "Kenji, can you hear me?! Please, say something!"

However, he could not answer her. The boy unconscious and an injury to his head.

"I'll call an ambulance!" Zoisite told her as the guys returned to their civilian forms and he pulled out his cellphone.

Nephrite and Kunzite didn't hesitate to help lift Kenji up and carry him up the stairs and towards the sidewalk so it would be easier to move him to the ambulance.

It wasn't long before the ambulance arrived and in a whirl of sirens and flashing lights, carried Kenji away. Makoto, Usagi, and Ami rode in the ambulance with him as Ayame and the guys rode in Nephrite's car to the hospital.

The ride over was silent as they each worried about the boy. The Four Kings of Heaven blaming themselves for not having arrived fast enough and letting the beast get away. For Ayame, the situation reminded her of the reasons why she had once disliked the Sailor Guardians, before she became one herself.

At the hospital's emergency department, it was a rush of activity as they wheeled Kenji in on a stretcher.

"Let us through! Move!" One of the nurses called out.

Makoto running right beside the stretcher as Usagi and Ami followed behind.

"He needs 3 units of Type O stat!" The Charge Nurse told the others as she set up the equipment necessary for blood transfusion.

"Charge Nurse!" One of the other nurses aiding her called out, reporting the situation. "We don't have enough Type O!"

"Start him with what we got immediately!" The Charge Nurse barked out to the assistant.

"Right!" The assistant answered as she rushed to get what they did have.

"Wait! My blood type is O! Please! Use my blood!" Makoto offered, desperate to help her friend.

"Excellent, but we're racing against time! Please lie down..." The Charge Nurse ordered.

"Okay...!" Makoto answered as she did as instructed, the nurses setting everything up for the blood donation. Hoping to help save Kenji.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Far from the emergency at the hospital, the area around Juban Odysseia was calm and quiet. On the top floor of the apartment, within a room unlike any other, was Ail, An, and the tree that gave them life. Sitting among the roots, Ail played his flute. The music filling the room as Phalion appeared with its spinning wheel. Resting on the wheel, Phalion slowly lifted itself up off it, floating in mid air while the wheel began to spin and glow. Continuing to play, Ali and An said nothing as they waited.

From the center of the wheel, the energy it had collected flowed out and rushed to the upper branches of the tree. The tree top glowing in response to the energy being fed to it. Getting brighter and brighter as the shriveled up leaves began to revert back to the healthy red full leaves it had been before it's energy had begun to deplete. The branch the provided Ali and An energy secreted a single drop of energy, they basked in as it fell over them and renewed their strength before disappearing.

Each relishing in it.

By the time the song came to an end, the wheel had given them all the energy it could. Phalion rested once again on the wheel before transforming back into a card. Ready for the next time it's masters called upon it. The design on it had Phalion standing on its hind legs with the wheel behind it. In its paw, a spindle of what could have been wool.

In a flash, the card appeared in Ali's hands. 'The spinning wheel doles out happiness and misfortune, and no one can avoid the fate they are dealt.' Ail thought, his thoughts being read by his partner in crime.

"Well we're still alive, so I'd say we've been dealt a very good fortune. This is easy living." An commented, thinking about the events that lead them to Earth and settling there. Compared to the past, it was easy.

"But we can't just relax. The ones who call themselves the Pretty Guardians, those lovely girls-" Ail started to say before being cut off.

"Wait-"lovely"?!" An asked, finding his choice of words odd.

Seeing his mistake, Ail cleared his throat. "We must be cautious as ten _frightening_ enemies have appeared. Especially the Princess of this planet. I'm surprised all of Earth hasn't rallied against us and hasn't started hunting us down."

"We should think of every human on this planet as our enemy." An decided.

"Correct, that's why we cannot allow these earthlings to become aware of who we really are." Ail reminded her.

"You're the only one I can trust, Ail..." An cooed as she reached out her hand to his.

Clasping her hand, Ail pulled her close to him. "And you are everything to me, An."

With this declaration of love, the two kissed, happy to have each other. That they were not alone in the universe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the hospital, things had settled down once Kenji had stabilized. His head had been bandaged and was now resting peacefully on a hospital bed. An IV was injected into his arm, giving him blood to replace the amount he had previously lost. One bed beside his, Makoto was laying down similarly to him with her own IV, her blood being transferred via machine to her friend. Her eye, on him as she watched him rest. Even now, when everything was so calm, she was concerned about him.

Not too far from them, Ami, Usagi, Ayame, Jadeite, and Nephrite stood there to give their support to Makoto. Zoisite had gone to contact Kenji's family to give them the 'official' story an let them know he was okay. Kunzite had gone to take care of the hospital bill. It was the Four Kings of Heaven's way of taking responsibility for what happened, seeing they didn't arrive in time to stop the monster and thus Kenji getting hurt.

"Mako, how are you doing?" Ami asked, being the sweet girl she was.

"If you start feeling anemic, I can give blood too." Usagi offered.

Ayame nodded. "I'm Type O, too. We're here to support you in any way we can."

Turning to look at them, Makoto couldn't help but smile. "Thank you. But with that test tomorrow, you three should probably be heading home."

"I'd rather stay and keep an eye on you. I've been studying all week, so I really don't need to study tonight." Ami assured her.

"Yeah! Same for me!" Usagi assured her, causing Ayame's eyes to narrow at the girl, giving her a stern look.

"Liar." Ayame declared.

Shrinking away, Usagi gave her a sheepish look, chuckling before continuing. "After all, cramming this late won't do any good anyway."

The comment earning the blonde a look from Ami. For Makoto, she smiled before returning her gaze back to Kenji. Following the brunettes's gaze, Ayame couldn't help but to start worrying about Makoto. It reminded her of herself whenever she was worried about the girls and especially Naru getting hurt. Being their leader, she was always concerned about them. While it was endearing the amount Makoto cared for her friend however, it also reminded her of the lengths her Guardians had gone to during their past lives to protect her. Doing whatever was necessary, even at the cost of their own lives. They didn't care about what happened to themselves as long as she was okay.

...It truly frightened her.

She never wanted to see someone sacrifice themselves to protect her. Sailor Boreas had acted as a human shield. It was one of Ayame's driving forces. It was why she was determined to become strong. If she couldn't at the very least even protect herself, how was she suppose to protect what was most important to her?

Ayame couldn't help but fear that Makoto's feelings for Kenji would drive her to do something reckless. She knew if one of the girls or the guys had been injured, she would be out for blood. While it was good to have drive and be motivated, Makoto was currently giving blood, she would be weakened and in less than peak performance. Out for revenge and in a weakened state was not a good combo.

Glancing over at her boyfriend, Ayame motioned him over and whispered in his ear. "Nephrite: knight of wisdom and comfort, I think you should share your wisdom to Mako. I don't think she's worried about the effects this might have on her later."

Nodding, Nephrite spoke up.

"Makoto."

Turning towards him, Makoto gave him her full attention.

"Don't worry about your friend. He will be out of the hospital before you know it. While it is noble of you to offer you own blood and it's okay to be concerned about him, you must remember to take care of yourself as well. Your friend wouldn't want you to over extend yourself for his sake. He clearly wanted to protect you from the way he acted before. If you don't take care of yourself, it will not only harm you but also your teammates. You will become a burden. Who will avenge your friend then? Hm? Don't let his efforts be in vain." He scolded her.

Makoto gasped at his words, absorbing them before looking at the girls and Kenji. Steeling herself, Makoto nodded.

Seeing the atmosphere in the room was tense, Ami offered a slight change in subject. "Hey Mako... What kind of guy is Kenji?"

"A special guy..." Makoto answered with a smile, her voice soft and showing a gentle fondness.

"A special...?" Usagi trailed off, only for Ami to finish it.

"...guy?" Ami asked.

"He's always been there for me, no matter what. That's the kind of person he is. There was this one time... When I had just been dumped for the umpteenth time, that he really came through for me." Makoto explained, her eyes glazing over as she was lost in her memories. A nostalgic, bitter-sweet smile on her face.

"That rainy day, the person who so kindly offered me an umbrella was my childhood friend, Kenji. Ever since I was little, whenever I was having a hard time, Kenji was there for me no matter what. He always cared when I really needed it. Like today. Even though his life was in danger, he was determined to save me first." Makoto finished.

"Wow! So does all that mean that the two of you are in love?" Usagi asked ecstatic.

"Usagi...!" Ami scolded her, thinking it was inappropriate to suddenly ask such a personal question.

Makoto honestly looked a little confused from the question, before she smiled. A light blush dusting her cheeks. "It's different... Actually, Kenji's more precious to me than any boyfriend ever could be. He's special."

"Oh Mako..." Usagi murmured.

Watching this, Jadeite looked at the resting boy. 'Kenji, no matter what, you have to pull through. You have people who care about you and are waiting for you.' he thought.

Chucking, a thought crossed Jadeite's mind. 'In the Golden Kingdom, he would've been a great knight.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, visiting hours were over and they all headed home. Ayame sat alone in her room as she looked out at the stars from her window. A pile of notes and study sheets in her lap.

Jadeite was with the other Four Kings of Heaven. They had told her they were going to try to make the device they had made to track down the energy the Cardians emitted when activated better. Hoping to be able to respond better and make sure what happened that day didn't repeat itself.

Ayame meanwhile, should have been studying, but her mind was elsewhere. It wasn't even on the stars she was gazing at through her window.

'Someone who is special... More precious than any boyfriend ever could be. Huh?' Ayame thought, Makoto's words echoing in her mind. Ayame was trying to wrap her mind around it.

Looking at it from Makoto's perspective and with the brunettes experience with boys, Ayame could interpret Makoto's words that since most of her boyfriends ended up betraying Makoto by dumping her, Kenji was more important than any of them because he never had. Always supporting her and just being there for her.

Ayame couldn't help but wonder if Kenji loved Makoto. From the way Makoto reacted to Usagi's question, she clearly didn't see Kenji in a romantic light. Ayame couldn't help but feel sad for Kenji if he did love Makoto. Makoto clearly friend zoned him. Maybe he never said anything because he didn't want to ruin what was between them. Maybe Makoto just didn't know.

'I wonder...Would Endymion be similar to what Makoto said? Someone who is special and far more precious than any boyfriend ever could be? He was...is my brother. He supported me, but... was he always there for me... like Kenji?' Ayame wondered, her thoughts bringing her down.

The truth was, her brother had betrayed her. He had left her behind and wasn't there for her when she needed him most. The same could be said for Nephrite, yet Ayame knew he didn't have a choice in the matter. He was brainwashed when it happened. Endymion had, of his own free will, abandoned her.

Huffing and growing frustrated at her own thoughts, Ayame directed them back to Makoto's condition. She hoped the brunette didn't do anything reckless when they went after the monster. Looking back, Ayame didn't recall a time when she was really angry, but there was always a first time for everything. She dearly hoped everything would turn out okay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Ami told Ayame they were having a meeting to discuss what happened with the latest Cardian after school. Ayame thought the meeting would be a bust, but decided it would be for the best. The Guardians of Earth had been in longer operation than the Sailor Guardians since they were basically forced to retire and probably needed to be updated on a few things. After calling the girls, they all arrived at the Hikawa Shrine after school. The guys were busy so Ayame promised to tell them about it later if anything important came up.

As they gathered around Luna began the meeting even though the supposed leader still wasn't there.

"Well here's what we know. This enemy is after the life energy of humans." Luna began.

"We already knew that!" Jing whined, making Luna look upset.

"This isn't anything new, Luna. It's the same shtick as the Dark Kingdom." Hiroko added.

Artemis nodded at this before adding. "That is correct Hiroko. However, the Dark Kingdom's been destroyed, so it can't be them. But these recent events prove without a doubt there's another evil presence on the loose out there."

"I agree.. And their aura's really different." Rei informed them.

"Yeah! Of course it isn't the Dark Kingdom behind it! We should know considering WE destroyed them. They have been completely wiped out. What was your first clue there was an evil presence on the loose?! Us getting attacked at the TV station or Naru getting her energy drained again!?" Nanami reminded them.

"We do have the four former generals of the Dark Kingdom with us, they would have been able to recognize the Cardians or at the very least heard of Ali and An. The Dark Kingdom came from Queen Metalia who came from the sun. According to Ayame and what Ali and An said when they introduced themselves, they claimed to be nomadic nobles of the universe. They come from beyond the solar system and have no ties to Beryl or Queen Metalia. This is a new threat." Taura told them.

"I'm thinking maybe all this has something to do with that strange meteor people saw falling out of the sky two weeks ago." Ami suggested.

"What was your first clue?! Something crashes to Earth and the next day Naru gets attacked by a monster. You can't just chalk that up to a coincidence!" Nanami yelled growing irritated until Ayame placed a hand on her shoulder to calm the girl down.

"Nanami, please calm down. Hiroko, Jing, Taura, please be patient with them. They haven't been back in action for long and they are still adjusting. Since we have been in action and never stopped, it's only natural that we're better prepared and organized to face the new threat. We're here to share what we know and make sure we are all on the same page." Ayame reminded them before turning to the others.

"No offence to you guys, but you are a little slow on the uptake here. While you were still living your civilian lives, the guys have been researching the enemy. They took sample from the crash site. There was substance left behind, and looking into it, it's from some sort of plant. The guys have discovered it is similar energy reading as the energy the cards left behind. Due to these findings we've already come to the conclusion that the crash and the new threat is connected some how. We've studied the cards energy to try and track down the monsters when they are activated. They have managed to get it working, but still needs fine tuning before it is perfected. With it, we can track down the monsters faster and stop any more casualties. Maybe even track down Ali and An to their hideout and defeat them." Ayame explained.

Leaving the others amazed at all the work Sailor Gaea and the members of Earth's Guardians had accomplished in such a short time.

Makoto meanwhile cared little for this. "I don't care who they are! Whoever hurt my friend-I'll tear them apart!" She roared, her fist colliding with the support beam of the shrine.

"That sounds good-but please don't destroy my place...!" Rei asked, her hands waving in placating gestures.

Ayame didn't blame Rei or Makoto for their actions. Makoto did look angry enough to rip the place apart. But she understood the anger Makoto had. It reminded her of the time when the Dark Kingdom took Mamoru away again after regaining his memory. She was angry and she had every right to be, but Ayame couldn't help but wonder what good did that feeling, that raw anger and thirst for vengeance, get her?

Nothing.

Sure, it helped drive her towards her goal, but in the end, nothing changed that much. Mamoru now lived without being under the enemies thumb, but he still didn't remember her. It only left her bitter, with a sour taste in her mouth. She ended up needing to find something else to be angry at, which ended up being Usagi. Her rage had cooled down a lot, but part of her was still bitter and resented Usagi for what she forced upon her brother. Which was why she found a way to make Luna awaken Usagi.

…After all, misery liked company.

Ayame hoped for Makoto, when the monster was dealt with, things would get better.

"So how's Kenji doing?" Ami asked out of concern.

Sighing and letting her anger go for a moment, Makoto answered dejectedly. "He's still confined to his hospital bed."

"Ohh..." Ami muttered, having nothing to say to that.

"Where's Usagi? I told her she had to be here!" Luna complained.

"It's kinda mean to start the meeting without her." Jing muttered.

"She's the leader and you leave her out of the meetings." Taura noted.

"You'll just have to update her later. This is highly impractical." Hiroko stated as she crossed her arms.

"There's this test she might be studying for-Uhh…" Minako started to say before remembering just who she was talking about. "She's not doing that."

"Uh-uh." Luna hummed as she shook her head.

Ayame sighed before heading towards the shrine stairs. "I'll be back. I'll see if I can find her."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Walking along the sidewalk, Ayame headed towards her school first. If she was lucky, Usagi would meet her on the way and their paths cross. If not, Ayame would check to see if Usagi had gotten detention and was being kept after school. Ayame was hoping that was the reason Usagi was late. If she wasn't en route or at school, then Usagi probably forgot. She would then check the arcade and after that Usagi's house.

As she walked, Ayame saw Mamoru crossing a street and giving Natsumi the slip. He waved at Ayame, but hurried away before Ayame could stop and talk to him.

Continuing on her way, she eventually did find Usagi... with Seijuro… Speed walking towards them, Ayame watched as Seijuro offered Usagi roses and began to romance the blonde.

"Usagi... Tears like that don't belong on that lovely face of yours. I came here today because I have something to tell you." Seijuro told her.

"Huh?" Usagi asked confused.

"I congratulate you-You have won my heart, I love you! Now please accept my love." Seijuro confessed as he held the roses out to the blonde.

"Your love, Seijuro...?" Usagi questioned.

"The love that we share is as eternal as the universe." Seijuro promised her.

Blushing, Usagi couldn't help sighing at the sweet words.

"Won't you please come with me, to beyond the stars?" Seijuro asked.

Watching this, Ayame was peeved. First the dude was trying to win Usagi's affections and second he was saying the types of things Nephrite might say. The only one who could say such things around her was Nephrite. Hearing those things from someone else and to Usagi of all people ticked Ayame off! Only Nephrite could say those things, to her and her alone!

"Come...!" Seijuro beckoned the blonde.

Ayame watched in shock as Usagi stepped forward slightly only to drop some sheets of papers she was holding in her hands.

Hearing and feeling the papers drop made Usagi snap out of it as she rushed to pick them up.

"Woah! Oh uh! I'm so sorry! I gotta go!" The blonde spoke rapidly as she gathered the papers and ran off. The girl too flustered to notice Ayame as she ran away, passing Ayame who stood in a alley.

Despite Usagi running away and not giving him an answer to his confession, Seijuro was not deterred. "The more she turns me away, the more intensely I will try!"

Sneaking up on him, Ayame tapped his shoulder. Looking at her, Seijuro was surprised to see her, he didn't even know who she was.

"You should leave my friend alone. She already has someone she likes. All you're going to do is confuse her and make things harder for her. Find someone else to give you roses to. And get some better pickup lines while you're at it." Ayame huffed at him. "You say the same things my boyfriend would say. I hate it."

Listening to this, Seijuro was surprised to say the least.

Meanwhile, behind him, Nephrite was walking towards them. After working on the machine and sensors for hours, the Four Kings of Heaven had decided to take a break and stretch their legs. Looking up from the side walk, he was happy to see Ayame, but scowled at the sight on the boy in front of her, holding a bouquet of roses.

It infuriated him to see another boy with Ayame. This boy a possible admirer. He knew that he didn't have much time to spend with Ayame lately since they were dealing with the new threat lately and it bothered him deeply. Nephrite didn't want some punk getting ideas with his princess.

Unlike in their past life, when he might willingly have given up his love for Ayame without a fight so she could do her duties as princess of Earth, he would fight for Ayame's love. He would rise to the challenge and never back down. If there was a day Ayame no longer loved him, but another, he would do everything in his power to push the date back. They had been given a second chance in a new era to live their lives the way they wanted. He would not waste it.

Standing behind Seijuro, Masato glared daggers into the boy's skull. Making the orange haired boy shiver before turning around to see the less than pleased Masato sending him death glares, thought Seijuro had no idea who he was.

Upon seeing Masato, Ayame beamed. "Masato! I thought you were busy with that big project."

Looking away from Seijuro, Masato smiled at Ayame, his hand on Seijuro's shoulder as he squeezed it. Making the boy attempt to hide the pain.

"We've been working on it for hours, so we decided to take a break. What are you up to?" He asked ignoring Seijuro.

"Usagi was late for a meeting with the girls so I came to find her. She ran off just a second ago. I was just telling Mr. Ginga here to leave her alone." Ayame explained.

"I see." He replied as he released Seijuro and walked over towards Ayame. Brushing his shoulder against Seijuro's, he caused the boy to drop the roses and 'accidentally' stepped on them.

"Oops. Sorry about that." Masato apologized, though his eyes said otherwise.

"Don't mention it." Seijuro replied, sending his own glares at Masato as he picked up the flowers.

Moving on, Masato joined his girlfriend and wrapped his arm around her shoulder gently. "We better go after her before she ends up tripping over her own feet."

Ayame was confused by this, but saw it as way to excuse themselves and get away from Seijuro.

"Yep." She replied before addressing Seijuro. "Have a good day Mr. Ginga."

With that, the couple left and headed towards the shrine. As they walked, Ayame couldn't help but feel something was bothering her boyfriend. However, he did not seem to be in the mood to talk. She would ask him once he relaxed a little.

As they walked, the two were silent. Nephrite was stewing in his own thoughts and Ayame was wondering what exactly caused his foul mood.

"That guy back there... His name was Ginga, correct?" Nephrite asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Seijuro Ginga. He's a third year student at my school. He's the guy after Usagi. He also has a sister that is in my grade and class. She has a crush Mamoru. Both of them get on my nerves. Seijuro was trying to give Usagi those roses earlier, but she ran off. Then I was telling him off and trying to get him to leave Usagi alone. Nice job stepping on them." Ayame told his with a smirk.

With Ayame's explanation, Nephrite's jealousy began to dissipate slightly. Looking over at his girlfriend, he returned the smirk.

"It was my pleasure." He told her before looking away, his arm slipping down from Ayame's shoulder and interlacing their fingers together, held her hand.

"Be careful around that guy." Nephrite warned her, making Ayame throw his a questioning glance. "Something about him just doesn't it well with me."

Ayame took his words into consideration before nodding. Trusting Nephrite's intuition. With that out of the way, the couple walked towards the shrine, happier than before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the shrine, Rei was using her abilities to try and see what exactly they were facing. Maybe even locate it.

"Why are we doing this? I mean, won't the guys' sensors detect the monster and notify us asap?" Jing whispered timidly among the four winds. The girls sitting behind the other Guardians.

"While that may be the case, the only ones that know what it looks like is Ayame, Makoto, Usagi, and Ami. So it would be nice to see what we are up against using Rei's way." Hiroko explained.

"While Rei hasn't always been my favorite person in the world, her powers are impressive. While I don't doubt the guys and all the hard work they have put into their sensors, it certainly doesn't hurt to at least try." Nanami admitted.

"Wow. The fact that you're being nicer to Rei is what is impressive here." Taura joked.

"Hey!" Nanami whispered indignantly. "I can be nice to Rei. I was at least civil with her when she didn't have her memories. I've gotten over what happened for the most part. I'm wiping the slate clean and giving her a second chance. Now stop talking." Nanami instructed them as they all turned their gaze to Rei.

Dressed in her shrine maiden attire, Rei sat before the sacred flame chanting. "On kili kili ha-la ha-da ru-tsu sa-daka on kili kili ha-daka on kili kili. Katsu!" She shouted.

In the flames, the same Cardian from before, the pink lion with the spinning wheel appeared before them.

Upon seeing it, Ami couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"That's the one!" Makoto declared.

The Four Winds of Earth scowled at the beast.

Minako was so shocked to see it she nearly stood up from out of her seat with a gasp.

"It's giving off an extremely evil aura!" Rei informed them.

"Really? I couldn't have guessed. I thought it just had bad breath." Nanami joked, earing a glare from Rei.

"Damn it! I don't care what that thing is! I'll make it regret hurting Kenji!" Makoto yelled in her anger.

"I think it's about to go after it's next prey!" Rei informed them.

As she stood up, the Four Winds of Earth's communicators went off. Responding to it Jadeite appeared.

"The Cardain has returned! I'm sending you the coordinates!" The cat informed them.

"Let's go!" Rei yelled.

There wasn't a moment to wait.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside the Shrine, Ayame and Nephrite found a breathless Usagi standing there catching her breath. Before the couple could even say a word, the three of them looked up the stairs to see the other Guardians show up, transformed.

"Hey girls!" Usagi greeted them before noticing their appearances. "How come you've all transformed?"

The others didn't stop to answer as Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter rushed by.

Sailor Mercury slowed down long enough to speak to them. "Oh! Usagi! Ayame! We need you, let's go!"

"What? Okay but where are we going?" Usagi asked.

Rushing past them, Sailor Zephyrus, Sailor Eurus, and Sailor Notos, hurried past after the others and Sailor Boreas stopped.

"The Cardian is on the lose again! We're going after it!" Sailor Boreas informed her leader before running after the others.

"C'mon-hurry!" Sailor Mercury urged them.

Ayame nodded as she looked around to make sure no civilians were watching before she smiled at her boyfriend, released his hand and transformed. "Gaea Founding Power! Make Up!"

"With all the guardians going, I doubt the Four Kings of Heaven are required for this. I'll wait for you later." He told her.

Sailor Gaea nodded and kissed his cheek before joining the others.

"Hey, I know it's my fault for being late, but could you at least tell me where we're off to?" Usagi asked.

Stopping, the others waited for Usagi as Sailor Mars yelled at her. "Transform, blockhead! Get with it or we're leaving without you!"

"Okay! Moon Prism Power! Make Up!" Usagi yelled.

Once this was done, Sailor Moon rushed after them "Hold on!"

As they raced to the coordinates, Sailor Mars could feel them getting closer to their target. "I can feel the evil aura getting stronger!"

"It chose a dark location because it relies on the element of surprise when it attacks its victims!" Sailor Mercury explained.

As they ran, Sailor Gaea could hear Sailor Jupiter's heavy breathing. The forceful exhales as she huffed and puffed. Trying too keep up with the others. Sailor Gaea noticed the brunette stopping, resting against a pole as she caught her breath.

Noticing this, Sailor Moon stopped along side her. "Oh Sailor Jupiter, are you okay?"

Sailor Gaea stopped herself to watch what transpired between the two.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sailor Jupiter told her, straitening her back and putting up a strong façade.

"You're still not back to full strength after giving blood last night. Your body's just not ready for this. You really should go back home and rest..." Sailor Moon told her.

"Don't worry. I'll be all right." Sailor Jupiter insisted.

"It's too dangerous to fighting your condition! C'mon! Go home, I mean it!" Sailor Moon told her, Sailor Gaea was amazed the blonde was really acting like a leader.

Sailor Jupiter looked determined, wanting to go after the monster. But as she looked at Sailor Moon, her face slowly softened.

"We both know I'm not as tough as you are, but I promise I will do my best to fight that monster." Sailor Moon vowed.

"You'd, really do that for me...?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Of course Jupiter, now go home! Or else you might die!" Sailor Moon begged, tears gathering in her eyes. No doubt remembering the close calls they had back in the artic when they faced the Dark Kingdom.

Sailor Jupiter smiled before answering. "Thank you for caring so much, but I can't allow anyone else to get hurt by that monster like Kenji was! I'm going to take that thing down myself!"

Seeing Jupiter would not be deterred, Sailor Moon relented some what. "Alright then, if you say so. I understand, but don't overdo it, kay?"

Sailor Jupiter smiled. "Don't worry, I won't. C'mon, let's go!" She said as she rushed off.

"Hey, wait up!" Sailor Moon yelled as she and Sailor Gaea ran after her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the coordinates provided by the guys and following dark aura found by Rei, it wasn't long before the Sailor Guardians found the monster's exact location in a park. The monster in question terrorizing a couple in the dark park.

"Phalion!" The Cardian roared, the spinning wheel turning over and over again above the creatures head as it stood up on its hind legs.

Whimpering in fear, the couple released panicked breaths as they held each other close. Sitting on the ground and unable to run away as the Cardian closed in on them.

"Phalion!" It roared again.

"Hold it monster!" Sailor Jupiter shouted.

"Huh?" Phalion asked as it turned its head towards the disturbance.

Not too far away, minus Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea, the Sailor Guardians had arrived. From Phalion's left was Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Boreas, Sailor Notus, Sailor Eurus, and Sailor Zephyrus. Standing in from of the others, Sailor Jupiter stood tall, ready for action.

"My friends and I are cramming as hard as we can for tomorrow's big test! Interfering with that is unforgivable!" Sailor Jupiter shouted as she rushed forward.

"Whoa! Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Mercury muttered, amazed by the brunette's enthusiasm and her care for their studies.

"Wait! We'll face it together!" Sailor Zephyrus yelled, worried the tallest Sailor Guardian would hurt herself against the monster in her weakened state.

"Supreme...!" Sailor Jupiter started, powering up her attack.

"Phalion!" The beast roared as it narrowed its eyes at Sailor Jupiter. This monster, being slightly smarter than most, knew Sailor Jupiter was about to attack and took a cheap shot at her. A blast shooting out of its mouth as the wheel spun faster.

The blast, raced towards Sailor Jupiter as Sailor Eurus used her own move to protect her comrade. "Harvest Vines!" She cried as they formed a wall in front of the lightning warrior. However, the monsters attack was stronger than what they were expecting, punching trough the wall and hitting Sailor Jupiter. Making her scream in pain.

"Jupiter!" Sailor Mercury cried as the rest of the team rushed to her side.

"She's hurt!" Sailor Venus informed them as they tried to help the brunette.

"How in the world did the monster get strong enough to punch through the wall I created?! Not even the combined forces of the DD Girls and Jupiter's own attack were able to burn through all the vines!" Sailor Eurus exclaimed.

"Either it's stronger than them, had the time to get stronger due to absorbing energy, or we have vastly underestimated our opponents." Sailor Boreas suggested.

Bringing up the rear, Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea arrived and saw the situation was not looking good. "Sailor Jupiter!"

Standing up Sailor Mars decided it was her turn. "Enough!" Pulling out a spell tag, she began chanting. "Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai-Zen! Evil Spirit, be exorcized!"

"Huh?" Phalion questioned, noticing the tag. It didn't hesitate to slice it into ribbons, making the others gasp in surprise.

"That...is not good..." Sailor Zephyrus muttered.

"Either we are really rusty or the monsters are getting smarter. Again, this is so not good." Sailor Notus agreed.

Seeing this, Sailor Moon tried to awaken the fallen guardian. Shaking Sailor Jupiter in her attempts. "Jupiter! Come on now, please wake up!"

Sailor Venus shared a look with Sailor Zephyrus and Sailor Boreas and the three of them nodded before attacking.

"Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus shouted.

"Winter's Tundra!" Sailor Boreas shouted.

"Gentle Hurricane!" Sailor Zephyrus shouted.

The ice and wind attacks combining to make the ice launch itself faster at the enemy.

But it was no use, the attacks countered by the beast as it sent the girls flying as they screamed. "Phalion!"

"Zephyrus, Notos, Eurus, Boreas!" Sailor Gaea cried out to her fallen guardians. Fear striking into her heart, flashes of the past appearing before her eyes, making her tremble. But it also made her angry. How dare this thing hurt those she cherished! She would make it pay for that.

"Sailor Mars! Venus! Mercury! How dare you attack innocent people without any explanation! I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon yelled at the monster.

"Phalion!" It roared even louder than before looking even more ferocious.

Drawing her sword, Sailor Gaea attacked. "Gaea's Call!"

"Ahh!" Phalion roared, another blast escaping its open maw as the beam raced towards the last remaining Sailor Guardians. Canceling out Sailor Gaea's attack.

"Uh-oh!" Sailor Gaea muttered.

Sailor Moon could only gasp in shock before Phalion attacked again. Making the two princesses run for it as Sailor Moon screamed.

"Phalion!" It growled as it chased after them. Moving down to all fours, the monster licked its chops at them. A hungry look now it its eyes.

"Her hair is dangos! Eat her first!" Sailor Gaea joked.

"Hey!" Sailor Moon gave an indignant shout. Looking back as the pink lion she screamed at it. "Oh no, stay away!"

Before any of them could do anything, something stopped the monster from making them dinner. A perfect distraction. Right in front of the monster's paw, was a single white rose imbedded into the ground.

Gasping at the sight, Sailor Moon's hopes rose. Praying it to be her love. "Could it be?"

Sailor Gaea slowly shook her head in disbelief, her eyes trained on the rose. Not fully trusting it and allowing her hopes to rise. "This rose is white." She observed, dismissing Sailor Moon's question and hopes. Sailor Gaea didn't want to be disappointed, not again. She already had enough of that in her past life from her brother.

While Sailor Gaea hadn't spent much time with Tuxedo Mask, she knew enough that he only used red roses. If he had returned, why the change? What triggered his memories to return? Why now?

Judging the trajectory of where the rose came from, the girls and Cardian looked up to find a man standing on a large tree branch up in a leafless tree nearby.

Who ever this stranger was, he certainly didn't dress like Tuxedo Mask. The man in question wore white traditional middle eastern clothing. A keffiyeh on his head that draped down his back. Allowing black hair to peak out and would have allowed his face to be seen if it wasn't for the mask that covered the lower half of his face. His white cape, covered most of his clothing, but Sailor Gaea could make out a long sleeved shirt and slightly poofy pants. There was a broach of some kind on the cape holding it closed that was mostly blue with a yellow crescent on it. At his side being held by a brown belt was a short saber. Looking at it, reminded her of the one Taura had gotten Mamoru for Christmas.

"Tonight's Moon is perfect to express one's love. Despicable monsters do not suit an evening such as this." The stranger spoke.

"Could it be? Is it possible?" Sailor Moon whispered, her hopes rising as she stared at the stranger before them.

Sailor Gaea, however was still skeptical. "He looks and sounds like my brother." She assured Sailor Moon. But Sailor Gaea was confused. If it was her brother, why was he appearing now? Not that she was complaining, but if he was there helping them, why the new disguise? Was his tuxedo out for dry cleaning and this was the best he could pull together in a rush to help them? But if he remembered, then when did he recover them and why? Whoever this was, couldn't be her brother.

And yet, his eyes... They were the same as her brothers. Warm and a familiar blue. His looks, his voice, his eyes, and the sword, it seemed too much to be a coincidence. Was it truly her brother? Did she dare to hope?

"Um, who are you... Tell me!" Sailor Moon called out to the man.

"I am known as the Moonlight Knight." He introduced himself. His eyes never once leaving Sailor Moon's as they gazed into each others eyes. Almost as if the two were wrapped up in their own little world. Sailor Moon's cheeks were lightly dusted with a pink blush.

""Moonlight Knight?" Are you Endymion?" Sailor Moon questioned in a whisper Sailor Gaea barely caught.

Sailor Gaea narrowed her eyes at the Moonlight Knight. "Something's different about him compared to my brother." She murmured.

While it was all very similar, it just didn't add up. Nothing about this man made any sense to her. If it was her brother, why would he hide behind a new disguise? Didn't he want to return to his rightful place with his knights...his sister? Something about it was off. She just couldn't pin down what it was about this 'Moonlight Knight' that made him so.

Pouncing in and ruining the moment, the monster roared as it leaped at the Moonlight Knight. "Phalion!"

Tearing her gaze from the knight, Sailor Moon gasped.

"Phalion!" It roared again as it close it.

"Moonlight Knight, watch out!" Sailor Moon warned him.

Narrowing his eyes at the monster, Moonlight Knight jumped from the tree branch. "The wheel of misfortune stops now! Huh!" He yelled before throwing his saber at the spinning wheel. Breaking it as the monster was shocked, losing some of its power.

"Phalion!" It roared in pain. Grunting as it fell to the ground.

Looking down at the fallen beast, Sailor Moon was amazed. Even the others couldn't physically harm it and yet this man forced it to its knees in one fell swoop. Sailor Gaea looked back at the man suspiciously. How did he know that would weaken the Cardian? Something about this whole situation just didn't sit well with her.

"Thanks, Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon told him.

"Sailor Moon, Sailor Gaea, when the time is right, we will be able to talk. I look forward to that day." The Moonlight Knight told them before saying his farewells. "Adieu..."

Sailor Gaea gasped as she literally watched him vanish before her eyes. His form becoming transparent as he turned around and as he leap off the tree branch he was completely gone.

'How in the world did he do THAT!?' Sailor Gaea wondered in alarm. 'That certainly isn't jumping off a building and hiding under a ledge until the girls are gone. Whoever this Moonlight Knight is, there's more to him than meets the eye. He has powers of some sort.'

Narrowing her eyes, Sailor Gaea was determined to look into the matter.

"Oh, Moonlight Knight..." Sailor Moon murmured, her face flushes as she watched the man disappear with a lovestruck look.

As both princesses were absorbed in their thoughts, Sailor Jupiter began grunting as she awakened and sat up holding her head. "Damn! What just happened?"

Looking at the princesses, Sailor Jupiter saw Phalion once again getting up. Grunting as it rose up on its hind legs. Though it had been weakened due to the source of its power being broken, Phalion wasn't out for the count yet and it set its sights on Sailor Moon who was closest to it.

"Sailor Moon! Look out!" Sailor Jupiter yelled, warning her princess.

Broken out of her thoughts, Sailor Moon turned towards the shout. "Huh?"

"Phalion!" The cardian roared as it pounced.

Sailor Gaea's eyes widened as she dodged the attack.

Sailor Moon wasn't as fortunate as she was pinned underneath Phalion. Screaming as its claws almost pierced her skin, her uniform wasn't so lucky.

Screeching, the beast cried out its name, triumphant in catching Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Gaea cried out. Sailor Jupiter struggling to get up.

"Phalion!"

"No, don't!" Sailor Moon cried as it looked down at her with the look of a hungry animal.

Sailor Gaea tried to get closer to attack, but seeing this, Phalion forced its claws deeper, making Sailor Moon cry out. It retracted them when she backed off. It was using Sailor Moon as a hostage.

As the monster focused on Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea, Phalion didn't notice Sailor Jupiter.

Watching this, Sailor Jupiter grew angry. 'Sailor Moon... Kenji... It's unforgivable!' She wouldn't stand for this to happen. She would not let this beast hurt those who were important to her.

"What you have done! Is unforgivable! Jupiter, my guardian planet! Bring forth a storm! Summon the clouds! And bring down your thunder! Supreme Thunder!" She shouted a she attacked.

Being distracted by Sailor Gaea, Phalion didn't see the attack coming as it hit. It rose up on its hind legs and screamed. "Cleansing!"

It was soon reduced to its card form and landed on the ground. The image turning black as smoke escaped it.

Sailor Jupiter sighed in relief and fell to her knees. The lightning draining her already low energy resources.

"Oh, Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Moon called out as she rushed to the brunettes side.

"I'm alright." Sailor Jupiter assured her. "And I'm so glad that you're okay, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon couldn't help but smile as she hugged her in gratitude. "Thank _you_ , Sailor Jupiter!"

Meanwhile, the others were grunting as they awakened and rose to their feet.

"Looks like it's all finished." Sailor Mars observed.

The other members of Sailor Moon's team giggling and smiling.

The Four Winds of Earth didn't share these feelings as they looked down in shame. They couldn't even protect themselves, much less their leader. They were beaten. They felt powerless just as they had the day the Golden Kingdom fell. It was not pleasant feeling for them. With nothing left to do, everyone went home. The Four Winds were determined to get stronger.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Ami, Makoto, Usagi, and Ayame stood near the entrance of the Juban General Hospital. Leaving the hospital was Kenji and a woman Ayame assumed was his mother. His head was still bandaged, but he definitely looked better.

"That's so great! Looks like Kenji's all better!" Ami cheered.

"Yeah." Makoto agreed.

Ayame said nothing as she watched with a smile. Simply relieved for Kenji's recovery.

"Mako, aren't you gonna go over and say something to him?" Usagi asked.

"No. You see, Kenji has always watched over me from a distance, so I'll do the same for him today." Makoto explained.

Looking at the brunette, Ayame couldn't help but think it was sweet what Makoto was doing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, Ayame's worries grew as she headed home from the guys' mansion. Her thoughts revolving the Moonlight Knight and the last battle. She had informed the guys of stranger and they were just as clueless as she was. Their master had shown no signs of remembering their past lives. The question of why he would change his disguise was another big question they had no answer to. In the end, they had decided to keep a closer eye on Mamoru and wait for any new developments.

In the mean time, they needed to focus on more practical things. Things they could do actually do something about. That being their attacks. All her own attacks and those of her Guardians had no affect on the Cardain. It was a serious problem that needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later before someone else ended up like Kenji.

Pulling out her communicator, Ayame called Naru.

"Ayame. Is something wrong?"

"Sorry to bother you, Naru. But yes, something is wrong."

"What is it?" Naru asked.

"In the last battle, our attacks didn't even reach the monster. The Cardian managed to counter attack and the others got blown away. I don't want what happened yesterday to happen again. If nothing is done, what happened to Makoto's friend, Kenji, could happen again. Do you think you could make stronger weapons for us to use?" Ayame asked.

"I'll get started on them right away. Goodnight, Ayame." Naru told her as she cut off the communicator.

"Goodnight..." Ayame muttered, even though Naru couldn't hear her. With a sigh, she put away the communicator. Ayame just hoped the new weapon would be done in time...


	6. Ayame's Crisis

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

The day was crisp and clear, the air still slightly nippy but warming up as the day wore on, with spring slowly made its way across the land. Soon after her discussion with Naru, the new weapons still were not ready yet. Luckily there hadn't been any incidents with new Cardians popping up.

Ayame had been busy with worrying about the Cardians, school, cheerleading, her volunteer work, and her art lessons with Yumemi. She honestly felt a little worn out. She couldn't help but sigh happily as the sun shined through her window on to her.

It was a beautiful day and she didn't have school. She miraculously didn't have any plans. Stretching, Ayame got up from her head and headed to her closet. She would take advantage of the day and use it to unwind from everything that had happened ever since the meteorite along with Ail and An arrived.

She changed into a chocolate colored long sleeved coat, a light blue sweater, and a pair of tan shorts and blue leggings to keep her legs warm. Along with brown boots.

Walking down the stairs, Ayame headed out, calling out her to her parents she was going out. As she walked down the sidewalk, she allowed her mind and feet to wander where they would. Walking without a clear destination in mind.

Back at her house, Mr. and Mrs. Mascari shared a look with each other.

"Every time I turn around, its seems like that girl is gone off with her friends. Or is busy with an afterschool activity or charity." Mr. Mascari commented.

"She's just at that age. She's young and wants to have fun." Mrs. Mascari replied as she sipped her coffee.

"We barely see her anymore. I know she's busy with cheerleading, school and community service and she's a responsible girl. I can't be more proud of her." He assured his wife, before growing somber as doubts settled in. "But I can't shake this feeling she's drifting away from us. It's almost as if she had gone into another world and we can barely catch glimpses of her. What we do see isn't really her. She's changed somehow..."

"Maybe she found a boyfriend." Mrs. Mascari suggested.

"WHAT!? Unacceptable! My little princess is too good for any foolish boy! I'll teach him how unworthy he is to even be in her presence!" Mr. Mascari shouted.

Only for his wife to chuckle at him. "Calm down. I was only teasing. You are overacting dear. You just can't accept your little girl is growing up. No matter what happens she will always be our daughter. She's just busy. Give her time and everything will be okay."

"If you think so." Mr. Mascari relented.

His wife nodded and with a quick peck on the cheek, walked away to do some chores. Not noticing her husband grabbing his coat and heading out himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hidden way within one of the rooms of the Juban Odessia's apartment complex, An brushed her hand against the ancient tree that gave her and Ali their energy to survive. The bark growing darker under her palm as the energy faded away.

"We haven't collected as much energy for the Makai Tree as I had hoped because of those Sailor Guardians interfering." An observed in a huff.

Behind her, sunshine streamed through the open door of the room as Ali opened it and leaned against the doorway. Seeing the change in lighting she turned to look at her partner.

"We both well know the Makai Tree is the source of our life energy, and if it withers, then we too will slowly wither and die." Ail once again remined her of their grim fate if nothing was done. Turning away from him, she once again gazed at the tree. Worry condensing into a hard stone in the pit of her stomach.

Ali said nothing more as he returned to the living room and sat down in a chair, picking up a flyer he had found beforehand. When An entered the room, she grew curious.

"What are you doing?"

Instead of answering her, Ali simply showed her the flyer as he placed it on the table.

"Huh? "Virtual Reality Theatre Now Open in Juban District."" She read aloud.

"Doesn't that sound like a perfectly charming spot for a Cardian to bare its energy-zapping fangs?" Ail asked.

"Hm. Well, why don't we take a little trip into town Ail, and seek out some new energy from this place?" She asked as she let the flyer fall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Ayame walked, her feet lead her to the Juban Shopping District. She wandered the streets looking though windows of various shops and restaurants. Nothing particularly caught her eye until she nearly bumped into a couple that rushed past her. Looking down the street to where they had headed, Ayame was surprised to see them standing in a long line with many other couples paired together in order to get in.

Moving around the line, Ayame went to get a better look at what they were all waiting in line for. The line snaked around to form four layers. Standing beside them were men that reminded Ayame of the old fashioned bellhops with their red uniforms. They held up signs showing estimated times for who long those in line would have to wait before entering. From the end of the line was an hour long wait.

Looking up at the building they were all standing in front of, Ayame realized it was the newly opened Virtual Reality Theater. Where games feel like they're real.

As she watched the crowd, she didn't notice her dad coming up behind her.

"Ayame! Don't tell me you came here to have a date with a boy!" Mr. Mascari shouted in desperation. His expression that of someone in the depths of despair. Hoping his little princess would deny it.

"Dad?! What are you doing here? Were you following me?! What gave you the idea I was here for a date? I just happened to wander over here." Ayame told him angerly, outraged her dad was following her.

"I'm here because I've been worried about you! There are tones of couples here for dates, it's a valid concern! You've been acting different for so long. Running off every time I turn around. I barely see you anymore, sweetheart. You're either off with your friends or is busy with an afterschool activity or charity. I understand these things take up a lot of time and I couldn't be more proud of you. But I can't shake this feeling you're drifting away from you mother and I. It's almost as if you've gone into another world and we can barely catch glimpses of you. What we do see isn't really you. You've changed somehow..." Mr. Mascari trailed off.

Ayame was left speechless, she didn't think she had changed that much. Much less to such a degree that it worried her dad.

"Then your mother suggested it might have been because you had gotten a boyfriend. You are my little princess~!" He whined as he began to tear up. "I don't want you to grow up~! You're too good for any foolish boy~! No matter who they are, they are unworthy to be in your presence!" He continued to rant.

"Dad... Dad. Dad!" Ayame shouted at him, trying to get his attention. When he finally stopped his protective fatherly rant, he gave his full attention to his daughter.

"I'm sorry I worried you so much. But I thought you trusted me more than following me." Ayame told him, irritation lacing her voice before she calmed down. "I'm not here for a date. I just wanted to get out and enjoy the beautiful day. It is coincidence and ONLY coincidence I happened to come here. That's all."

Mr. Mascari sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, Sweetie!"

As she watched her father, Ayame looked back at the Virtual Reality Theatre. Looking between it and her dad, Ayame smiled as she came up with an idea.

She was upset her dad doubted her to the point of following her around and spying on her. But she recognized she was partly to blame for this happening in the first place. She felt terrible for making her dad doubt her. She needed to spend more time with him. He was right.

She had grown distant with her parents. She had been so busy. First with the Dark Kingdom and now with those two menaces, Ali and An. She still hadn't gotten around to introducing Nephrite to her parents. She knew he would flip out even more if she told him she did have a boyfriend. She was lucky they didn't have plans to meet up there today or the situation would have been much worse.

Her dad would have created a major scene. Even more that the slight shouting he already did. She would have to be careful when she did introduce Nephrite to her mom and dad. She had already told her mom about Nephrite, but she had yet to meet him.

"You know, it has been a while since we have gone out and did anything. The last thing was go to the hot springs with Mom and the Tsukino's. How about we get in line and try the Virtual Reality Theatre? I'm sure it will be fun."

Mr. Mascari looked at his daughter with a giant beam spreading across his face, suddenly wrapping his daughter in a crushing hug.

"D-Dad!" Ayame breathed from being forced into his shirt, being stifled as her dad squeezed her tightly to him.

"That's my little princess! We'll have a wonderful time." He promised. "And I won't let any suspicious boys get anywhere close to you. You will always be my little princess."

Ayame couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous man she called her dad. If only he knew the things she did.

'I wonder what he would think if he found out I was the princess of the entire Earth in my past life. Or the fact I'm a superhero fighting off aliens.' Ayame thought to herself with a chuckle as her dad released her from his crushing hug and practically dragged her to the end of the line. They had a long wait ahead of them.

Despite the circumstances, she was happy to spend time with her dad. She had a lot of missing time to make up for.

For the next hour, Ayame and her dad talked to past the time while they waited to enter the Virtual Reality Theatre. Most of their conversations revolved around what Ayame had been up to with the girls. Civilian life wise of course. She began with the friends her dad had already known about, those being Usagi and Naru. Basically telling him how they were doing. Then she told him about the rest of her friends. She told him about each of the girls and how she met them. Along with Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako.

She informed him about having an art teacher she visited every now and again. He was amazed she was taking lessons from some as well known as Yumemi Yumeno. Then she talked about some of the charity work she had done and how cheerleading was going.

After and hour of waiting and chatting with her dad, they finally made it inside. While they had been waiting, Ayame noticed Mr. Tsukino and Shingo had gotten in line behind them. Unfortunately though, they didn't get the chance to talk due to others being between them in the line.

Inside the first room, it was designed to look high-tech and maybe futuristic. On the far side of the room was screen Ayame assumed the monsters of this stage of the game would appear. Ayame and her father, along with the multiple people that were in the theater with them, were shown these little green pods with a fake gun mounted on the front. The mounted parts being red and blue while the barrel of the gun was silver. There were seven pods in total. Two in the back, three in the middle, and two more in the front.

Each pod was made for two with a control stick to fire with. The controls were simple enough, the control stick would move the gun and the button would fire at the target.

Ayame wondered what the theme was for this room and guessed it was like a futuristic war game with the pods like some sort of two person tanks.

Settling into one of the pods, Ayame was ready to take on whatever the theater had to throw at them. She faced real monsters on a regular basis, how hard could these fake ones be?

Her dad climbed in with her and while he wasn't as confident as his daughter when it came to arcade game skills, he wouldn't give in that easily. He would show his daughter he was cool and fun to be around just as much as her friends. He would enjoy their moment of bonding time together.

As the first stage started, the screen showed them in a city location. The sky a bright blue with clouds in patches here and there. As the sat in the pods, the city appeared to fly by them via the screen, making it seem they were the ones moving forward. When the first monster appeared, it took the form of a machinal monstrosity. It honestly reminded her of Godzilla with the dinosaur look it had going on. It was green with red eyes and a red jewel in the center of its stomach. Its elbows and tail was lined with spikes. The monster roaring at them as it prepared to attack.

Ayame could hear a few girls scream from the sudden monster appearing but paid them no attention as she smiled with determination. She had played many games like this back at the crown arcade.

"Fire!" Ayame shouted with glee as she started hitting the button on the control stick, directing the hits towards were she thought would be the weak points and be most effective. Her dad nearly jumped when he first saw the monster but remained calm as he looked over at his daughter and copied her actions with his own control stick, helping her target the monster and attack.

With the monster taken down, there was a bright flash. The brightness hurting Ayame's eyes that had gotten used to the darkness of the theater and unprepared for the flash of the monster being destroyed. The pod moving to simulate the ground or the air shaking due to the blast of the monster being defeated.

But there was hardly a moment of rest as the pod moved appeared to keep moving forward through the city via the screen in front of them and another mechanical monster appeared. This time it was more of a bronze color with this one being a different monster. This one was a giant two-headed dragon with red eyes and jewels atop their heads between two horns. Ayame couldn't see any arms on it.

'The bigger the are, the harder they fall!' Ayame thought as she fired at the monster. The blast shaking the pod again.

With the monster taken down, it wasn't long until another one appeared. Though, this one was basically the same Godzilla monster from before. Ayame wasn't too impressed with the lack of diversity among the monsters they faced in the first stage. The pods shaking again as the monster was destroyed.

As they continued, Ayame didn't particularly like the shaking feature. She was growing to despise it, but she dealt with it for the time being before they could go to the next stage of the Virtual Reality Theater. She just hoped the rest of the place wasn't like this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside, waiting in line, the Four Winds of Earth were waiting in line.

"Is it really okay that we didn't invite Ayame?" Jing asked, uncomfortable that they didn't invite their leader out with them when they decided to simply hang out in their civilian forms.

"I could have asked Kijin to join us and evened out our numbers." She offered happily.

"Oh, stop rubbing it in you have a boyfriend. We don't want to be four extra wheels to your date." Nanami joked as she nudged the black haired girl.

"Don't worry so much, Jing. It's not as if we didn't try to invite her." Taura reminded her, assuring her for the hundredth time it was okay.

"Indeed. We went over to her house to invite her. Mrs. Mascari told us she wasn't home and was probably with her father. There's nothing we can do if she already has plans and this was a spur of the moment idea." Hiroko added.

"I think it's a good thing Ayame is spending time with her family. With everything going on, having a day to relax with those who are important to you will do her some good. Ayame needs to enjoy as much time with her father as she can. I certainly won't get in there way of having some quality time together." Nanami told her friends. Her thoughts on her own father who was long gone.

"You guys are right." Jing relented, her eyes trailing along the others standing in line around them, only to gasp when she saw four familiar faces in line a few couples back.

"Huh. Looks like we're not the only ones that wanted to try the Virtual Reality Theater out." Jing said, her comment drawing the other girls attention as they followed her line of sight.

"Well, well, well. The other guardians are here as well. When we get in, maybe we need a little competition between our two teams." Taura suggested.

"Yeah!" The others cheered.

"We'll finally see which team is the best at arcade games!" Nanami chuckled with wicked glee.

"This will be fun..." Hiroko said sarcastically.

Meanwhile, the other team hadn't noticed them yet and were bored out of their minds waiting.

"How long are we going to have to wait to get in?" Makoto groaned. Her feet tired from standing around.

"They say, 'Good things come to those who stay!' " Minako cheerfully told her friend, though she had messed up the quote.

Not even looking up from her book she had brought to occupy herself, Ami corrected her sweetly. "I think you mean, 'Good things come to those who wait.' "

Her response making the other three sigh.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the theater, Ayame and her dad were getting ready for the next stage of the game. Ayame was thrilled she no longer had to sit in the shaking pods from the room before. For this stage, the couples were shown to different doors they would enter to get to the stage which Ayame heard was like a maze.

For the game, they needed to put on some gear which would allow them to interact with the game. Ayame thought it was a little bulky, and some parts she thought were unnecessary, but she put it on anyway. It added to the almost real life experience of the virtual reality theater. They had many different sizes for different age groups.

The gear was like armor, but was white and made of plastic. There where greaves that covered the lower leg, front and back along with poleyn that covered the kneecap. On the arms was couter or cowter that covered the elbow that were part of the forearm guard. Each one locked on with clamps on the sides.

Over the torso was a small plate with straps over the shoulders to attach it to the back plate. The front plate had a smaller orange on the left side. Ayame assumed it was part of the life point system aspect of the game. When the monsters attacks hit it, the game would notify the wearer that it was game over. The back plate was square and reminded her of a backpack. Attached via a black cord was a plastic gun to hit the monsters with. After attaching the two bottom straps to secure the armor, Ayame put on the headset that came with it. It was basically a blue headband with a red visor and ear cover.

Once they were ready, Ayame and her dad entered the maze. Inside, Ayame could hear sound effects. Roars of beast and what may have been elephants. The ground rough stone while the rest of the room looked like something of a demonic castle, centipedes and demons meshed into the walls as their eyes glowed red while looking down upon them.

Ayame wasn't that impressed, she had been in a real dark fortress and looked nothing like this. If she had to give Beryl one thing, the witch did have better taste in how to decorate. From what she had seen, the floors of the Dark Kingdom had been polished until they shined. The walls were ordinary rock and none of her minions were trapped in it.

Recalling this made her remember the last time she had seen it. When her brother had finally broken free of Beryl's dark magic and brainwashing. Had her brother returned under the diguise of this Moonlight Knight? Did he remember? If so, why didn't he tell her or his loyal knights? Why the wait? Or...was this similar to what originally happened with Tuxedo Mask? When she first met Tuxedo Mask, he was searching for his memories and later wanted the Silver Crystal to help regain them. He told her he felt something that made him want to protect Sailor Moon. Since Sailor Moon returned, maybe this was something similar. Mamoru unconsciously protecting Princess Serenity again? Could that be it?

But he knew who Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea were. He told them when the time was right they would talk, but when would that be? Was he Mamoru or not? How did he disappear the way he did?

All these thoughts only made her frustrated. Shaking her head, Ayame focused on the game and spending time with her dad. She could figure out that problem later.

As Ayame and her father walked along, they had yet to see a single monster or anyone else in the maze. Ayame briefly wondered how the monsters would appear. Whether they would be animatronics or holograms of some sort that would activate on motion sensors.

Some distance away from them, Ayame could hear the sound of two girls screaming. One sounded familiar, however, Ayame couldn't quite place it from where she had heard it. She simply assumed it was a civilian she had once saved. They had probably gotten scared by the monsters suddenly appearing.

Hearing another bout of female screaming, the one that sounded familiar to her, it wasn't long until Ayame heard rushing feet heading in towards her and her dad.

"Come back Bun-head! You're going to get lost in that maze!" A male voice shouted. The echos of feet through the maze giving tale-tell signs the female's partner was chasing after her.

Upon hearing it, Ayame knew the owners of both the scream and the shout right away.

'Now I recognize that scream.' Ayame thought with a resigned sigh. 'As often as I hear it, I'm surprised I didn't realize who it was sooner.'

The own of the scream being none other than Usagi. The blonde was leader of basically a team of superheros, yet she was such a scary-cat. It was honestly appalling.

With a scoff and a chuckle, Ayame smiled as she thought of the male accompanying the blonde.

'Who else would Usagi come here with?' Ayame asked herself rhetorically. 'Plus, there is only one person I know that would call a certain blonde girl Bun-head.'

Running around the corner, Usagi raced towards them until, being the clumsy girl she was known to be tripped right in front of them.

"Ow~!" Usagi groaned as she sat up. Looking up, the blonde was surprised to see Ayame looking down at her with an amused expression. Mr. Mascari meanwhile looked a little bemused, but smiled politely as he moved to help Usagi stand up.

"Oh. Hello there, Usagi. Are you alright?" Mr. Mascari asked.

"Oh! Ayame! Mr. Mascari! I'm fine, but what are you doing here?" Usagi asked.

"Spending some time with dad and not running away from fake monsters like a certain someone I happen to know." Ayame quipped.

Before Usagi could make a comeback, Mamoru turned around the corner, pausing to look wildly down the different tunnels until he looked towards them. Sighing in relief when he saw Usagi.

"There you are, Bun-head." He said with a smile. A smile that made Ayame feel a sting of jealously. She remembered the warm looks he had given her when she would often wander off and he rushed everywhere to find her, sighing in relief when he found his little sister. Such a warm look, just like the one he had given Usagi.

The ache of it thudded in her chest. The loss of the long-established familial connection the once had was something Ayame was reminded of every time she saw him. She desperately wanted her brother back.

Beside her, Mr. Mascari noticed her expression. Looking between the three of them, Mr. Mascari wondered what was going on. He already knew Usagi, but he did not recognize the boy with Usagi. He certainly didn't look like a middle school student and Mr. Mascari didn't recall any relatives of Usagi's family that looked like the guy before him.

Seeing Usagi had stopped running, Mamoru walked over and joined them.

"Hey, Ayame! Good to see you." Mamoru greeted her.

"Mamoru!" Ayame replied as she went up and gave him a hug, one which he returned in kind. Something he hadn't done for Usagi or Natsumi. Ayame glanced back at Usagi from the corner of her eye, only to see the bun-head getting puffy seeing Ayame so close to her Mamo. Though Ayame would never willingly admit it, the sight gave her a slight bit of sadistic pleasure.

Releasing Mamoru, Ayame continued to talk to Mamoru.

"Its nice to see you too. I'm so glad I got to see you today. I figured you might have been busy today with work or your assignments. If I had known you were free, I would have dropped by your place and we could have gotten something to eat since you got me something last time. I've also been meaning to show you this new bookstore I happened across the other day too. I hope Usagi hasn't been too troublesome. I'll make it up to you later if you'd like." Ayame offered.

"It's okay, Ayame. I figured you were busy with the girls or with community service. You don't have to repay me. I enjoy treating you every once in a while. But, I would be interested in seeing this new bookshop. Don't worry about Bun-head. I'm getting use to it by now." Mamoru told her.

The boy already resigned to his fate being caught between Natsumi and Usagi.

As Mr. Mascari watched them, worry crept into his system. The two of them knew each other well from their interactions. The words his wife spoke to him that morning echoing in his ears. Could this boy be dating his precious little princess!? If he was, why did it look like he was on a date with Usagi?

Soon enough, Mr. Mascari couldn't take it anymore as he exploded on them.

"You!" Mr. Mascari shouted as he pointed at Mamoru. "Are you dating my daughter and cheating behind her back with one of her best friends!?" Mr. Mascari demanded to know. "This is no way to treat a lady, much less my little princess, you fiend! You are unworthy to even be in her presence!"

"No way Mamoru would do that!" Usagi shouted, even though Mr. Mascari ignored her.

Turning to his daughter, he began to weep. "My little princess! Why didn't you tell me about having a boyfriend!? Since when has my little girl been keeping secrets from me?" He asked in despair.

"Dad! Calm down. Mamoru isn't my boyfriend. He's just a friend." Ayame tried to calm her father.

"Mr. Mascari, I presume." Mamoru began tentatively, waiting for Mr. Mascari to look at him. "Please calm down. Ayame is correct. We're not in a relationship. Ayame's more of a little sister than anything else."

Mr. Mascari looked into Mamoru's eyes. Looking for even a hit of dishonesty. Seeing he could not find even a hit of being misguided, Mr. Mascari calmed down.

"There is absolutely nothing romantic going on between the two of you?" Mr. Mascari asked his daughter and the boy before him.

"We're just good friends." They assured him, making the devoted father sigh in relief.

"If Masato had heard you say I was Ayame's boyfriend, he would have skinned me alive." Mamoru chuckled.

Ayame stiffened at the mention of her boyfriend's name as Mr. Mascari began to get worked up again. This time, he tried to remain calm.

"Oh? Who is this Masato? And why would he be upset by this?" Mr. Mascari asked, suspicion lacing his voice as he began interrogating the boy.

Ayame frantically motioning for Mamoru to shut it and not say anything to make the situation worse than it already was. Unfortunately, Mamoru didn't see it.

"He's her boyfriend." Mamoru answered plainly.

The room was silent as Ayame pressed her hands to her face and slowly dragged them down. Ayame caught Mamoru's eyes and mouthed to him, 'You idiot.'

Only then did Mamoru realize his mistake.

Mr. Mascari had yet to say anything, either too shocked that his deep fear had been confirmed or outraged his daughter hadn't told him.

"Ayame... How long have you been seeing this Masato?" Mr. Mascari asked.

With a sigh, Ayame answered him. "His name is Masato Sanjouin. I met him last year around either late spring or summer time, I guess. I don't remember the exact date at the moment. We didn't become truly official until fall. Around the Momiji festival."

"Then please tell me why I am learning this now?!" Mr. Mascari demanded as he whirled around to face his daughter.

"...It's complicated." Ayame muttered.

"No wonder you have been so busy your mother and I barely see you anymore! Wait a minute, Masato Sanjouin? I know who he is! He is far too old for you, young lady! You've been distracted by this boy who has lead you astray. He's using you! Trying to take advantage of my pure innocent little girl!"

"HE HAS NOT!" Ayame shouted, cutting off her fathers rant as she panted from shouting so loud.

"Masato has been nothing but a gentleman! He has done nothing but show me kindness and respect. He has never been a distraction! He has been nothing but helpful and understanding. He has helped me even before we started dating. He helped me with my petition to save the park. He saved me from falling off a cliff when I was spending time with Kijin. He comforted me when I was in tears. He was always there to give me advise when I needed it. He was patient when I needed time to learn to cope with things and never pressured me. He would have vanished from my life all together if it would make me happy. He loves me for me!" Ayame yelled as tears fell from her eyes.

"I know he's a little older than me. And I don't care!" Ayame said as she turned to glare at her father. Calming down a little as she explained. "I've been planning to introduce you and mom to him for a while now. I wanted you to be happy for me when the time was right for you to meet Masato."

"It hurts that you seriously don't trust me. First you were following me and now you automatically think I'm too young and stupid that I can't make a good judgment about the character of the man I love. You haven't even met Masato and you judge him so harshly. You won't even give him a chance! If you won't even give him a chance of acceptance before you even know him, then you don't accept me either!" Ayame shouted as she ran through the corridors of the maze. Disappearing from sight.

"Ayame!" Mr. Mascari, Mamoru, and Usagi shouted. But the girl ignored them.

Watching Ayame run off the way she did, reminded Mr. Mascari of something that had happened many years ago. Something he had nearly forgotten. He remembered back when his wife, who was his girlfriend at the time, wanted to introduce him to her father.

He remembered one time when she had come to him crying. His wife had told her father about him and she had gotten upset by what her father said. He realized he was just like his father-in-law. Mr. Mascari finally understood the feelings his father-in-law had when he learned about his daughter having someone special. He had once promised himself to not be as judging as his father-in-law, and he had failed.

He was in big trouble. He hoped he could make things right, yet his feet felt as if they were cemented to the ground.

With sigh, Mamoru turned to the others. "Wait here. I'm going after her. I'm partially to blame for this. I didn't realize you didn't know. Sorry. Hopefully, I'll be back soon. Don't run off again, Bun-head." Mamoru said, ignoring Usagi's protest.

Even though Mamoru didn't like leaving Usagi behind, something deep down was telling him that Ayame needed him more right now as she was top priority. With that in mind, he went after Ayame.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the Four Winds of Earth were at the front of the line. Jing was bouncing on her heels in excitement.

Behind them, the others were bored. Ami was still reading her book, Minako and Makoto were bored with nothing to do, while Rei was looking at the front of the line, counting how many more was in between them and entering.

"Hmmm, just ten in front of us." Rei observed.

Looking closer, she then realized who was ahead of them. "Hey, guys! Look who's in line in front of us!"

Gaining the attention of the other three girls, they were surprised to see the other Sailor Guardians in their civilian forms wait in line as well.

"Wow. Small world." Makoto commented.

"This is great! I can't wait to play against them." Minako cheered.

The four of them filled with even more excitement than before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the theatre, since Usagi and Mamoru separated themselves from Natsumi and Sejiro, Ali and An decided it was time to get to work and do what they had come to the arcade to do in the first place. Taking out the cards, Ali presented seven to his partner.

"Choose the most appropriate Cardian for this place." He told her.

Looking at the cards, she lifts her hand and points to the card next to last on her left.

As the card lifted into the air, the image was revealed. The background showed a blue sky with a yellow crescent moon, wisp of clouds here and there. The monster in question had a light green tint to it's skin with a brown wrap around it's upper torso, with a similar one covering the lower part of it's body. Its hair was a lighter shade of brown and divided into three parts, like points of a crown. From its hands was what appeared to be white ribbons of some sort that covered the rest of the background of the card.

"Cardian Hellant, I call upon you to appear!" Ali commanded as his flute music filled the air.

The card emitting yellow waves of energy as the card itself glowed white.

"Ant...Ant...Ant...Hellant!" The monster shouted as it appeared before its masters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Farther away from the new threat being introduced to the theater, Mr. Tsukino and Shingo were looking around their surroundings which unfortunately looked exactly the same as the surrounding they had seen before.

"It feels like we've been walking around in circles." Shingo complained.

Looking back behind them, Mr. Tsukino was worried. "I've lost track of Usagi. I don't know where she went."

Down on of the corridors to the left, the father and son could barely make out the sound coming from that way. Little did they know it was the groans of the other gamers in the theater being attacked and drained of their energy.

"What's that noise?" Shingo asked, as they headed down the tunnel to find out what it was.

"Ant! Ant! Ant!" The monster screamed. Now that it was freed from the card, Hellant's form had changed slightly. Its hair and skin tone had not changed though there was a red jewel on its forehead with what resembled dragonfly wings attached to it. Hellant's eyes were red with yellow sclera. She also wore red lipstick. Its ears were long and her sharp. Hellant's clothing was different as well with what resembled white insect mandibles covering the top part of its torso with a lower and what resembled the legs of and coming up from below with the rest reaching down. On its shoulders was brown fur. Just like a real ant, Hellant had a abdomen attached to the back of its body. The cardian also possessed two tone brown boots and matching arm bracers.

From it's hair was vines that latched on to its victims. The vines wrapping around their hair as they screamed and tried to get the vine off. Some thought it was a monster of the game and uselessly tried to defeat it with the blasters.

"Ant! Ant!" Hellant screamed at them.

Tugging at its victims, they continued to scream.

Watching this from above, An giggled at the sight of their plan going along swimmingly. "Wonderful."

Entering the chamber, Shingo was in awe of what he thought was fake. "Wow, that looks so real!"

Mr. Tsukino was a little less sure than his son, as it laced his voice. "Yeah, maybe a little too real..."

"Ant!" Hellant shouted as it noticed them.

The father and son gasping as Mr. Tsukino covered his son with his arms.

"Ant! Ant!"

The shouts making the men shake in their shoes as they screamed in fear.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Farther away from all the commotion, Ayame was sitting down and leaning against the wall. She honestly didn't know how to feel after her outburst at her father. She didn't regret standing up for her boyfriend. She would never regret that. But arguing with her dad left a bad taste in her mouth. To know how little he actually trusted her hurt deeply. The fact he wouldn't even give Nephrite a chance also hurt.

Now it was just too much. The stress from the new enemy, from her brother not remembering her, the fear of not being able to combat the monsters, and balancing it together with her civilian life combined with the days events was too much. She was only a middle school student.

She could not stop herself from crying due to stress. Crouching down with her arms wrapped around her knees, she bent her head down as the tears kept falling.

This was how Mamoru found her. Seeing her in such a state hurt Mamoru more than he could bear. Kneeling down beside her, he enveloped her into a hug. Rubbing her back as he soothed her.

"Ayame. Ayame, I'm sorry. I didn't know your dad didn't know or that he would react like that." He whispered.

Ayame stiffened in shock Mamoru had come after her. She thought her father would have come or Usagi. She was certain he would have stayed with Usagi. To think he saw her, Ayame, as his top priority made her heart swell. Pulling her brother closer, Ayame enjoyed the comfort and attention Mamoru was giving her. Closing her eyes, she pretended that they were still in their past life. Before Beryl ruined everything. When she had her brother Endymion and he recognized her as his sister.

But, she knew she had little time to play pretend anymore. Composing herself a tiny bit, Ayame tried to speak.

"It's-" Ayame hiccupped. "It's not your fault. I-I should have told h-him sooner. I-I knew he wo-ould react b-badly, j-just." Ayame paused to catch her breath. "Just not that bad."

"It'll be okay." Mamoru promised. "If you father raised a smart girl such as yourself, he can't be all bad. He'll come around. I know Masato and he's a good guy. I'm sure your father will recognize that as well."

Ayame said nothing to this, part of her wanted to scold Mamoru for making promises he couldn't keep. But his words did make her feel a little better. She wanted Mamoru to be right.

As they sat there, the two slightly pulled apart when they heard someone come running in their direction. As the person turned the corner and raced towards them, Ayame recognized the youth.

"Shingo!? What's going on? You're running as if demons were at your heels." Ayame asked as she stood up and wiped away the remains of her tears.

Panting, Shingo stopped in front of them before explaining. "My dad's in big trouble!"

"What happened?" Mamoru asked, his expression serious as listened to what the boy had to say.

"One of the virtual monsters is real and everyone's dropping like flies in here!" Shingo exclaimed.

"A real monster?" Ayame asked, apprehension growing in the pit of her stomach.

"I'll check it out. You two stay here!" Mamoru ordered as he headed towards the direction Shingo had just come from.

"But Mamoru!" Ayame called out to him.

"Wait for me! I'll show you the way. We've got to hurry and save my dad!" Shingo urged.

"Alright." Mamoru relented.

"Don't count me out!" Ayame yelled at them.

"You stay here, Ayame. Leave this to us men!" Shingo declared.

Only to fuel Ayame's anger as she growled at them. "Don't give me that sexist garbage! I demand to be treated equally! You can't stop me!"

Pausing, Mamoru turned to Ayame and enveloped her into a hug. "Ayame. Please, just stay here. If you can't do that, then go look for Usagi and your father. Make sure they're okay as well. Let me protect you this time." Mamoru begged.

His choice of wording shocked Ayame. Seeing her silence as agreeing with him, Mamoru released her and rushed of with Shingo to help the others and Mr. Tsukino.

'Protect me this time? But, when was the time he tried to protect me before?' Ayame thought as she raced through her memories searching for the moment he could possibly be talking about. The only thing popping into her mind was their past life, when he left her behind to protect Princess Serenity.

Gasping in shock, Ayame looked towards where the two ran off, hope rising in her chest. 'Does this mean he remembers!?'

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back outside, the Four Winds of Earth had already entered the theater. The others were eagerly waiting to enter now that they were closer. Ami even closed her book.

A head of them, one of the workers let in another couple. "All right, two more. That's all for now."

"Three more to go and we're in!" Rei cheerfully observed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the main chamber with the Cardian, the monster was growling at the yelling Mr. Tsukino as she scrambled to get away.

"We won't take your life. We'll just put you in a nice long sleep." Ail assured the human though this did little to stop the man's heavy breathing as he fired the blaster at the Cardian. Only for it to laugh at his futile attempts as one of the vines wrapped around the gun and ripped it away from Mr. Tsukino.

With heavy panting, Mr. Tsukino screamed as he tried to sprint away, only to be held back by the cord attaching the blaster to the gear he wore. Falling flat on his face when the cord broke.

"Dad!" Shingo cried out as he entered the room along with Mamoru.

Taking off the chest plate of the gear, Mamoru wrapped the cord and blaster around it. Throwing it with a grunt at the monster.

Hitting it in the back of the head. "Ahh!" Making Hellant stagger.

"S-Shingo!" Mr. Tsukino cried out to his son.

After the pain was alleviated a bit, Hellant growled as it turned to face the new challengers.

"Stop you monster!" Mamoru ordered.

Smirking, Hellant had the vines at the top of her head wrap together. Swinging her head, she screeched at them and attacked with the combined vines. "Ant!"

Seeing the attack coming, Mamoru grabbed Shingo and tossed both of them to the ground with a few grunts.

Picking himself off the floor, Mr. Tsukino called out to his son. "Shingo!...Run!"  
But the boy would not listen, determination to fight this monster that threatened his father would not allow him to back down and run away. Mamoru stood beside Shingo. He would not let Ayame end up like the others.

"Ant! Ant!" Hellant roared as she began to charge forward. Vines waiting to drain them dry. However, this was not to be. Unseen by the others in the room, Mr. Mascari entered. He had heard the screams and told Usagi to wait while he went to investigate. Seeing what was going on, he quickly grasped the situation. Thinking quickly, Mr. Mascari used the opportunity provided while the monster was distracted and reached the emergency fire equipment. Upon opening it, he pulled out a fire extinguisher and threw it at Hellant.

"Go! Shingo!" Mr. Tsukino yelled.

The canister ended up hitting Hellant in the back with a grunt as she whirled around to face both fathers as Mr. Tsukino joined Mr. Mascari. Mamoru and Shingo moving away from where they were prior.

"A parent's duty is always to protect the children he loves! Come and get me instead, Monster!" Mr. Tsukino challenged as he picked up another fire extinguisher and raised the nozzle.

"Even if a parent and child don't always see eye to eye, we still love them and look out for them! We accept them not matter what! What we will not accept is beast like you threatening them!" Mr. Mascari yelled.

Screaming at them, Hellant rushed towards them only to be hit with the chemicals pouring out of the fire extinguisher. Mr. Tsukino grunting at he kept blasting full power. As it filled the air, neither man could see through the white cloud Mr. Tsukino had created. Making it easy for Hellant to jump out at them from the fog.

"Ant!"

Gasping in shock, the two fathers didn't know what to do, seeing the fire extinguisher had little to no effect. Using the smoke screen Mr. Tsukino provided, Hellant wrapped its vines around their legs. Sending them toppling to the ground with screams.

"Dad, no!" Shingo cried out

"Mr. Mascari!" Mamoru shouted, covering his mouth so he wouldn't breath in the chemicals.

However, there was nothing they could do as they too were caught by the vines and dragged towards the monster through the chemical smoke screen. As the chemicals finally cleared, the men screamed and grunted as they struggled within the bonds that now held them captive.

Meanwhile, Ayame and Usagi were waiting in the wings, preparing to fight off the monster that dared to hurt those that were important to them. Their fathers and their brothers.

"Moon Prism Power! Make Up!"

"Gaea Founding Power! Make Up!"

Growing tired of suspending the four men in the air, Hellant threw them against the wall. Each screaming until the collided. Mr. Tsukino, Shingo, and Mr. Mascari ending up knocked unconscious. Fortunately or unfortunately, Mamoru remained conscious, breathing heavily as he stood up with aid of the wall beside him.

Floating down from above, An spoke to the monster as she reached the ground floor. "Hellant, go easy on that one."

"Ant?" It spoke in a questioning tone, confused as to why its master deemed this human was different.

Struggling, Mamoru stood his ground and moved into a combative stance.

"Stay still or you'll get hurt." An warned him.

Without further ado, Hellant lashed out a vine towards Mamoru as he pushed himself out of the way, making Hellant grunt in frustration.

Doing a back flip, Mamoru landed in a crouch. Before anything else could happen, they all heard shouts and turned in that direction.

"Stop it!" Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea cried out.

"Huh?" Mamoru asked.

Stepping out of the corridor and into the light, the leaders of both Sailor Guardian teams appeared.

Seeing them, the nomadic noble greeted them. "Hello, Sailor Moon. Sailor Gaea." Ali said with a smile.

"How dare you bully those who are dearest to me. I will not accept any of your apologies! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon declared with her signature catchphrase.

"The bond between parent and child is a precious thing. Blood is thicker than water. However, the way to threaten the bond between family, I doubt the likes of you will ever understand the importance of it and the strength it gives you to fight on." Sailor Gaea said as she looked at the two aliens in almost pity before anger raced through her veins and she scowled at them. "I am Sailor Gaea! The protector of humanity and nature! On behalf of Mother Earth, I shall brighten the darkness and vanquish the evil within!"

"Silence your nuisance! Hellant, will you please just pound them into the ground!" An ordered.

"Ant!" The cardian answered as her vines whipped through the air.

Pulling out her only attack since she lost the Moon Stick, Sailor Moon used her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!"

Flying through the air, the attack seemed to be working. Until the shine disappeared, the tiara stopped spinning as the last traces of light fell to the ground along with it as it clattered uselessly to the ground.

Sailor Gaea's eyes widened in shock. "It turned back?!" She had never come across a time the tiara hadn't worked. There was the time Sailor Moon and stopped it from hitting Naru, but that was on purpose. There was no reason for Sailor Moon to stop it now, so why did it!? Sailor Gaea didn't know what to do.

"No way! My Tiara!" Sailor Moon yelled out in shock.

"I don't know who you are, but if you're gonna fight, you gotta do better than that!" Mamoru told Sailor Moon.

The monster coming ever closer as the vines continued to whip around.

Sailor Moon said nothing, now weaponless, she could do nothing more than whimper in fear.

Sailor Gaea's mind was racing. 'This is bad! This very, very BAD! Without her Tiara or the Moon Stick, Sailor Moon's just a harmless teenage girl! Wait, could that also mean?' She thought fearfully of her own attack she used without her sword. She hoped for all their sakes that hers worked.

"Dawn's Rose!"

Going through the motions that had practically etched into her memories, her arms moved in to a cradling position as golden light formed in her arms as an image of a rising sun rose behind her. When it reached to top of her head she released the rose it's petal scattering as if the wind has carried them away. The petals quickly raced towards the monster. That attack hitting the monster and forcing it back a bit. Though it worked, it wasn't as powerful as it once was.

"Ant!" Hellant screeched in rage, whipping its vines and hair at them as they screamed, grunting as they landed away from the spot they once were.

Before it could close in on them, a white rose was throw right in front of the Cardian's face, making it flinch.

The rose imbedded itself into the ground, somehow still standing as three of its petals fell to the ground. Looking at the trajectory of the rose, Sailor Gaea wasn't that surprised to see the Moonlight Knight standing up above the ground floor of the chamber, across the way from where Ali and An had stood. Behind him was a tunnel leading away.

"Even in a world of wicked shadows, a beautiful flower of love will blossom." The Moonlight Knight told them.

Raising an eyebrow, Sailor Gaea questioned what his comment had to do with anything.

"Who are you?!" Ail demanded to know.

"I am the white wind that brings color to the darkness. I am the Moonlight Knight!" He introduced himself.

"Oh my God! The Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon gushed, hearts in her eyes as she fangirled. Only to snap out of it when she remembered who was beside her. "Huh? How?" She asked as she looked back and forth between the Moonlight Knight and Mamoru.

Confused how both of them could be in the same place at the same time. Sailor Gaea was in the same predicament. Her hopes crashing down not that their theory had been undeniably proven false. The evidence staring right at them.

"Oh, great, now another weirdo's appeared." Mamoru groaned.

'Huh? They're here together?! So Mamoru isn't the Moonlight Knight?' Sailor Moon thought, crushed under a mountain of disappointment.

'So much for that theory.' Sailor Gaea thought with a resigned sigh. However, this revelation only brought more questions than answers. Just who was the Moonlight Knight? Why was he involved in this? What is his goal and motive for helping them? As for Mamoru, why did he say he would protect her this time if he wasn't regaining his memories? He didn't recognize Sailor Moon or herself as Sailor Gaea. Was it an act?

Shaking the thoughts away, she would just have to sort them out later.

Jumping down to the ground floor, the Moonlight Knight addressed Mamoru. "Let me just say, I admire your courage. But no mortal human is a match for them. Stand aside."

'Mortal, huh? What is he then? Being mortal is the state of being subject to death. Even us Sailor Guardians are still mortal even with our powers. If he isn't mortal, what is this man!?' Sailor Gaea thought.

Turning back to the matter at hand, Hellant charged at them. "Ant!"

"A true knight knows when there is a valid reason to fight. I must punish those who harm the innocent!" The Moonlight Knight declared as he unsheathed his sword and readied his stance. Leaping forth, the Moonlight Knight attacked as the monster's vines reached out towards him. With precise cuts, the Moonlight Knight landed crouched down on the ground. Both he and the monster froze.

Both Ali and An watched this with perplexed looks. Along with Mamoru, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Gaea herself.

Slowly sheathing his sword, the Moonlight Knight stared straight ahead, pausing only a moment before finally putting away the sword with a click, Hellant then began screaming as the three vines atop its head fell to the ground, thrashing its head wildly in pain.

Meanwhile, the Moonlight Knight stood tall, unharmed from the exchange. Until the rest of Hellant's vines reached up and wrapped themselves around his waist, arms, and legs. The Moonlight Knight grunting in surprise. Sailor Gaea scowled at the man for getting cocky and overestimating his own ability. Hellant's posture screamed similar thoughts as it crossed its arms and laughed at him.

"Let him go!" Sailor Moon yelled, but the monster didn't listen to her as the Moonlight Knight was struggling to get the vines around his waist off.

'What a day to forget my sword.' Sailor Gaea thought, scolding herself.

"Dawn's Rose!" She attacked, only for the rose to not fully bloom, instead it wilted much to her shock.

Luckily for them, reinforcements had arrived.

"Bubble Spray!" Sailor Mercury cried out, creating a fog.

Using the excess water in the air Sailor Boreas, attacked. "Crushing Blizzard!"

"Gentle Hurricane!" Sailor Zephyrus attacked, giving the shards of ice an extra boost as they sliced the vines that had held the Moonlight Knight captive.

"Fire Soul!" Sailor Mars attacked, burning the monster as it tried to put them out, allowing the knight an opportunity to slip away as the monster screamed.

Standing before their respective leaders, all the Sailor Guardians had arrived.

"Looks like we got here in the nick of time!" Sailor Jupiter declared.

"Listen everyone...It's awful...My Tiara... isn't working anymore!" Sailor Moon informed them, crying as she sunk down to her knees.

"And I'm losing my power!" Sailor Gaea growled, angry at herself for her short comings. Her warriors gasping in shock. "My rose that blooms in the light of dawn wilted!"

"Don't cry, Sailor Moon." Sailor Mercury comforted the girl as the bluette rubbed the blonds back.

"Why shouldn't she!? Why shouldn't I?! Why are you so calm about this?! This is a serious problem! We can't protect the ones we care about, much less ourselves! We're nothing but burdens! Dead weight!" Sailor Gaea yelled as she pulled on the dyed braids in her hair, growing agitated.

"The Tiara! How can that be!" Luna murmured, worry etched into her voice. Beside her, Jadeite was filled with dread as his tail flicked through the air with worry.

"This is a disaster. If Sailor Gaea is losing her power, then the others could lose theirs as well. How could this even happen!?" He muttered to himself. Thinking of possible explanations for this. "If her powers derive from the Earth, could it be that the connection between the Earth and Sailor Gaea is weakening somehow?"

"Sailor Moon, Sailor Gaea, pull yourself together!" Sailor Venus told her leader as she handed her the tiara back.

Straightening herself up, Sailor Moon took back the tiara. "Thank you Sailor Venus."

Sailor Gaea just scowled. "How am I supposed to do that? Without my power, I'm just in the way."

"Sailor Gaea. You're not a burden. You never have been. With or without your powers, you're still our leader and our princess." Sailor Zephyrus explained.

"We'll figure out what's happening and help you fix it." Sailor Notus assured her.

"Getting yourself all bent out of shape won't solve anything." Sailor Eurus told her.

"We'll support you and protect you. No matter what happens." Sailor Boreas told her.

This only made Sailor Gaea frown, unable to look at them. What Sailor Boreas said was what Sailor Gaea was afraid of. She knew they would protect her. Even at the cost of their lives. They finally had a second chance at life, she didn't want them to die for her again. She wanted to be strong so it never happened again. She couldn't let the past repeat itself.

She had to solve this problem fast!

For the others, Sailor Venus stood up to face Hellant. Sailor Mercury stood beside her princess and Sailor Mars looked mad. Sailor Jupiter looked furious, even more than the time she fought Phalion to avenge Kenji.

"We're taking over for Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea, so you'll be fighting us instead!" Sailor Venus told the enemy, gesturing to the Four Winds of Earth when she said us. Sailor Eurus and Sailor Notus prepared to attack.

Before the monster could move or run away, Sailor Eurus attacked. "Harvest Vines!"

The Cardian thrashing about and using its own vines to try and dislodge itself from the opposing sides grasp. With the enemy unable to attack, the others went to town on it.

"Crescent..."

"Rage..."

"Supreme..."

"...Beam!"

"...Fireworks!"

"...Thunder!"

Hellant screamed as the lighting jolted her form, the light tearing it apart and the fire burning the remains. Her final words being. "Cleansing!"

With a blast of light, Hellant was reduced to the card it once was. Falling to the ground, the image then turned black as smoke escaped from it.

Gathering around and surrounding the aliens, the Sailor Guardians scowled at them. Ready to pound the enemy that had given them so much trouble into rubble.

With their monster gone and now surrounded, Ail and An saw it was high time to retreat.

"You're going to pay for this!" Ail assured them as the alien due disappeared.

With the enemy gone, the Moonlight Knight spoke up. "Good work."

"Huh?" The girls asked as they all looked up to see him. Standing above them, he stood in the exact place he first appeared in the room.

"Sailor Guardians...Even in battle, your friendship glowed beautifully. Adieu." With a mock salute, the Moonlight Knight turned down the tunnel and with a jump ran off.

Whimpering, Sailor Moon attempted to go after him only to pause and think better of it.

"So that guy was the Moonlight Knight?" Sailor Venus assumed.

"Yes, that was him." Sailor Gaea confirmed. "He's a little arrogant if you ask me, but he doesn't seem like a threat."

Meanwhile, they still had an audience. "What's going on here? Who are you girls anyway?" Mamoru asked.

For the Sailor Guardians, they couldn't look him in the eye. Most were disappointed that he wasn't the Moonlight Knight. Most didn't know what to say.

Sailor Gaea only smiled sadly at him. "Sorry. I'm afraid we can't tell you right now. Maybe one day you will understand."

In the distance, they could hear people talking.

Turning around, Mamoru looked towards the entrance. "Huh?"

Apparently, someone had realized something was wrong since no one had come out of the maze and sent people in to investigate.

Turning back to the girls, Mamoru was surprised to see they had disappeared. Leaving him alone with the unconscious Shingo, Mr. Tsukino, and Mr. Mascari.

"Huh?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the workers helped clear everyone out, Ayame helped her now conscious father home. They had walked in silence until her father couldn't take it anymore.

"Ayame... I overreacted earlier today. I created a scene in front of your friends and put you and them in an uncomfortable position. For that I apologize. I was wrong to jump to conclusions and think the worst before even meeting the one you are interested in. I have become someone I have sworn I never would. But I'm disappointed and upset you never told me and have been keeping this secret from me." Mr. Mascari informed her, making Ayame look away from him.

"But seeing how I reacted, you were right to worry about it and act the way you did." He confessed with a sigh. "I am your father. It's a father's job to worry about his little princess. But even if we don't see eye to eye, I will always love and accept you. I...would like to meet this Sanjouin if that can be arranged."

The confession made Ayame look up at her father, the two of them pausing as she waited for him to continue.

"I can't promise I will accept him. As you father, it's my job to judge harshly on anyone who dares try to take my little princess away. However, I would like to meet him and at least give him a chance. How does that sound?" He asked with a teasing smile.

Ayame was silent as a smile worked its way up to ear to ear. Her arms wrapping around him in a big hug, making the man hiss a little when she touched a bruised area.

"I would like that."

As they continued to hug, the issue was far from being completely solved. Both were still hurting, but at the every least they were taking steps in the right direction to move forward.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ow!" Mr. Mascari bellowed as his wife applied disinfectant on the scrapes he had gotten from Hellant. "Darling, Sweetheart. Can't you apply that a little more gently. That stings a lot."

"Oh, don't be a big baby. If you can't take this, how do you expect to handle Sanjouin. Toughen up." Mrs. Mascari scolded her husband, pausing before she gave him a slight smile. "I'll kiss them and make them better later tonight. How does that sound?"

Mr. Mascari had the nerve to blush before nodding, only to cry out again when she applied more disinfectant on the scrapes.

"Darn equipment malfunctioning! I should sue for this!" Mr. Mascari threaten.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the mansion, Ayame had gone to tell the Four Kings of Heaven what happened.

"What do you mean?! Your power can't be gone!" Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite declared. All the Four Kings of Heaven were alarmed by the news. Jadeite was calmer, but he already had time to absorb the information.

Ayame only shook her head. "It's true. Just ask Usagi. At least my power still worked somewhat. She can't even use her tiara. Somehow, mine has gotten very weak. Now I'm just a liability."

"You're not a liability!" Nephrite roared, making everyone in the room jump from the intensity of his shout.

The rest of the Four Kings of Heaven had been upset by their princess's declaration of being a liability, but out of all of them, Nephrite had been outraged. Sharing a glance between themselves, Jadeite, Zoisite, and Kunzite slipped away. Leaving the couple a moment alone.

Taking deep breaths, Nephrite took a minute to calm down. "Ayame. You are not and never have been, a liability. You are the leader of the Sailor Guardians of Earth. It hurts us deeply you would even think that."

"Without my powers, I won't be able to defend myself, much less anyone else!" Ayame shouted. "How am I not a liability!?"

"You are more than just your powers, Ayame. You are so much more that that. While you are the leader, the girls see you as their friend as well. You're not alone in this. The girls will be there with you every step of the way to help defeat the enemy and protect you. The Four Kings of Heaven will be there to aid you as well. We will find out what is causing this and solve it." He assured her, walking closer to her in an attempt to hug her, only for his hands to be smacked away.

"Be realistic! Who knows when we'll be able to solve this! What will happen in the mean time!? Look what happened today! If the others hadn't come when they did, who knows what would have happened. The girls won't always be there to protect me and neither will you!"

Listening to her harsh words, Nephrite knew she was right. He wasn't always there to protect her. After all, he killed her in their previous life.

"I want to be able to protect myself!" Ayame yelled, falling to her knees as she was blinded by her tears. Kneeling down beside her, Nephrite held her tightly. Even though she struggled to break out of his hold, he refused to let go.

"I'm the leader, I'm suppose to have the plans and the answers! How can I lead when I'm such a mess!?" She demanded to know as she punched him. Taking out all her stress and anger out. Nephrite silently bore it all. A part of him blamed himself for not being more attentive to her needs. Ayame was still young, she was just a middle school student. Even in this new life, she was burdened by the past.

'She should be free to live without such thoughts. She's tearing herself apart. Worrying herself sick over being useless and losing someone close to her again.' Nephrite thought.

Soon enough, she began to wear herself out. Her fists slowing down until they hung limply by her side. Slowly wrapping around Nephrite. Through her tears and sniffles, Ayame continued. Finally getting to the root of the problem.

"The girls died in their first lives trying to save me... And you nearly died in this life when you protected Naru and me. I-I don't want anyone else to die trying to save me...! The girls have others in their lives! They shouldn't be so willing to throw their lives away for me! It isn't right! They should be free to be able to live how they want. How could I ever face their families if something ever happened to them while they tried to protect me!? Naru went through so much pain when she thought you died... I don't want her to ever go through that again. I just don't know what to do... I'm scared..."

Nephrite was silent as he absorbed everything she had told him. Eventually, he found a response.

"You are very mature. Sometimes, I think you make even yourself forget you are still a middle school student. It's okay to be scared. You raise some valid points, but you need to have more faith in the rest of us." Nephrite explained as Ayame looked up at him. With a tender smile, he wiped away the tears from her red eyes.

"Things have changed. The girls are stronger and have even more to fight for. They will not fall that easily. You don't have to have all the answers. You're still learning and have time to grow. You brother didn't have all the answers and he wasn't always the best at everything he did. He made mistakes. But it was okay because we were there to not only support him but each other. Have more faith in them. I can't guarantee we will solve this right away, but what I can guarantee is that in time we will solve it. Believe in me, in the guys, the girls, and yourself. Alright?"

With a heavy sigh, Ayame nodded. "I'll try..."

"That's all I ask."

With that said, the couple remained silent. Words were meaningless now. They would change nothing. For the moment, they would pretend everything was okay and simply back in the comfort of the others presence to help sooth the pains.


	7. A New Transformation: Ayame's Power-Up

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

Darkness.

The absence of light.

One can never truly escape it.

But, within the darkness, the soft glow of the flower petals shown through.

Illuminating not only the room, but memories, of long ago.

"Blossoms?" Ail asked his companion.

"Viewing cherry blossoms is an annual seasonal event for people from this planet. It seems to go on all day and night for them. And I understand humans use a lot of energy doing it." An explained.

Hidden away in their apartment, the two of them were once again watching over the Makai Tree. For now, it was doing well. But they still could not help but worry for the tree. They needed more energy.

Looking up at the red leaves and thinking of the blossoms, Ail couldn't help but feel a bit of bitterness at the cherry blossoms. They were healthy and strong.

"I have heard stories that when our tribe was prosperous, the Makai Tree had beautiful flower blossoms on it as well." Ali spoke as he reminisced. He had never seen the blossoms himself, but from the stories they had been white little puffs, scattered across the leaves, like stars in the dark blue sky. Growing strong even as their home world was dying.

An tried to picture such flowers, but like Ail, she had never seen them with her own eyes. With a sad sigh, An looked back to the tree. Up at the bulb that fed them energy. Would there ever be a day when they would no longer have to ration the energy they took? Would the Makai Tree ever bloom for them as it did for the previous members of their tribe?

"Blossoms?" Ail asked once again, this time with a less skeptical tone. Chuckling, he turned to An. "I think we can gather a lot of human energy while they're viewing this cherry blossoms."

With the idea now in mind, it wouldn't be long before their plan was set in motion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the season in full swing, Sankaku park was filled with families, coworkers, and friends visiting to sit and eat while they enjoyed the cherry blossoms. The air filled with chatter and laughter. Among them, both Sailor Guardian team were in their civilian forms along with Naru, Ms. Haruna, and Jadeite.

Ayame wore a yellow and green plaid button up shirt, over which was a red button up sweater. Along with white, rolled up shorts and black stockings covering the rest of her legs and a pair of sneakers. She wore her star earrings she had gotten from Nephrite as she usually did and carried a picnic basket her mother had prepared the night before.

Jing had also dressed up for the occasion, wearing her hair in her signature odango style with the yellow ribbons in her hair replaced with pale pink ones. That day, she wore a peach colored dress, the sleeves were in a bishop style that came up to her elbows. It was a V-neck with a Mulberry purple camisole underneath, the collar was black and lead down to a think black band around her waist before forming the shirt that went to her knees. In her hand was a tiered wooden container holding her lunch.

Nanami wore her cyber grape hair in her usual braid along with her men's straw fedora with the orchid band and periwinkle feather. Her yellow wire glasses shining in the sunlight. To combat and chilly weather that might have been lurking around, she wore a imperial purple blazer over a light pink shirt that had a few flower blossoms along the top. The shirt styled in such a way that the cloth looked like it over lapped. After that, was a pair of camo shorts. She had a drawstring bag she carried over her shoulder for her food.

Hiroko dressed more along the lines of Jing than Nanami or Ayame did. Her red bobbed hair free as the wind played with it. Royal blue dress with Two white buttons at the end of a sweetheart neckline lined with lace. Lace continued to decorate the dress around the waist, at the bottom of the shirt and just above it. The dress also had a pattern a light blue flowers on it. Wrapped around her shoulders was a cream shawl. Her lunch bag was a straw bag with orange cloth lining it.

For Taura, her lapis lazuli windswept hair was pulled up into her high ponytail with an orange ponytail holder. She wore a blue varsity football jacket with white sleeves and snaps. Over it was a sapphire blue backpack with orange dots and bottom for her food. Under the jacket was a plain light salmon colored shirt and a blue jean skirt.

Leading the group, Usagi wore a light green long sleeved button up shirt with light blue jacket and white long skirt. Luna rested on her shoulders. Usagi was filled with excitement as she swung her bag with a rabbit on it back and forth as she sang. "Make way! Make way! Usagi's coming through!"

"Usagi, if you keep swinging your lunch like that, you'll lose it." Ayame warned the blonde, though the girl was too happy to care to listen.

With a sigh, Ayame looked at the others. In her arms, she carried Jadeite along with her basket. Beside Ayame, Naru was walking next to her with Usagi on the other side. Today she wore her green dress with a yellow shirt underneath with long sleeves, high collar, and red pin in the center. Her red ribbon in her hair. She wore ankle socks with black flats. In her hands was her own picnic basket. Filled with food Nephrite had prepared as an apology for not being able to join Naru and spend some sibling quality time.

As for the rest of the Sailor Guardians behind them, Ami wore a large multicolored sweater with red at the top with flowed down the sleeves, after which was a white band around the center with a type of circle logo that was black and green, and then a blue band at the end. She also wore white pants. Beside her, Minako wore a orange and white jacket with a light green dress, on her feet were orange flats, and in her hand was a plastic turquoise bag with a white cat on it. Artemis hung on her left shoulder.

On Minako's other side was Mr. Haruna who was their chaperon for the day.

Behind them, Rei wore a white sweatshirt with a pink pair of overalls. On her right was Jing. Makoto wore a light green turtle neck with a red front zippered short dress with matching red ankle boots. Her bag was similar to Hiroko's though Makoto's was packed with loads more food. Beside Makoto was Taura. Behind them was Nanami and Hiroko with Natsumi bringing up the rear. She wore an orange and purple sweater, grey skirt, and purple flats that matched her sweater.

Turning towards the teacher, Minako apologized. "Hey, you know I really appreciate you being our chaperone for today, even though we're not your students."

"You're always so busy, I almost feel bad for taking you away from school to be here with us." Ami confessed.

Ms. Haruna shook their comments away. "I was happy to do it!"

"I think we should all just forget about school for today!" Makoto suggested.

"For sure! Right now we're just a happy bunch of people enjoying the cherry blossoms!" Rei agreed.

Jing only sighed before bemoaning the unfortunate news. "Too bad the guys couldn't make it." She said as she thought of her beloved Kijin along with the Four Kings of Heaven. But she smiled at Jadeite who was able to make it because he was a cat and didn't have any other engagements like college or work.

As they walked, Naru lead them towards where her boyfriends was waiting for them. The glasses wearing boy having already picked out a spot for them.

"Naru? Naru? Naru! Naru? Naru?" Umino asked as he looked back and forth for his girlfriend. "Ah! Hey, everyone! Over here!" He called when he spotted them.

"Huh? Wow! Look, it's Umino!" The majority of the girls called out to him.

"Thanks for saving us this spot, Umino!" Ms. Haruna thanked him.

"I'm surprised you were able to find one." Usagi informed him as she looked around the crowded area.

Ayame had to admit, it was a good spot, how did he manage to get it.

"Have you been here long?" Naru asked him.

Adjusting his glasses, Umino answered. "Since 8 o'clock last night."

"What?!" They all asked him.

"But isn't it cold outside at night this time of year?" Ami asked concerned.

"I was just fine!" Umino informed her as he once again adjusted his glasses. "I brought my own secret weapon with me! My trusty sleeping bag kept me toasty all night!" He explained as he laid in said sleeping bag.

"That was smart, but you really didn't have to go that far, you know." Ms. Haruna told him, slightly amazed he went that far to secure them a spot.

"Well, I'm happy to help all of you, but I really consider it my special duty to do this for Naru!" Umino informed them.

"Aw~! How sweet~!" Jing gushed.

"You gotta give the guy points for dedication." Taura praised, shaking her head in good humored disbelief .

"He's no Masato, but he's definitely a keeper." Nanami added, sending Naru a wink, making the girl blush before she turned back to Umino.

"Does anyone know what he looks like underneath those glasses, though?" Hiroko asked, making the others shrug, clueless as she was to what Umino looked like.

"You did this for me?" Naru asked the be speckled boy.

"Yes! For you, my dear, Naru!" Umino told her earnestly.

"Umino..." Naru muttered, the blush returning to her cheeks before she took the zipper of the sleeping bag and zipped it so it covered Umino's face. The others were surprised by this to say the least as the entire group fell silent. Turning towards the others, Naru encouraged them to sit down. "Come on everyone! It's time for our picnic!"

"Yeah, let's eat!" The others cheered, though Ayame and the Four Winds of Earth did feel bad for Umino.

Setting out their food, the group got settled down while Umino called out to Naru from the sleeping bag. Ayame was confused as to why the boy didn't just unzip it since the zipper was on both sides of the bag. Or she at least hoped it was.

"Uh...Naru? Zipping me up in here was really uncalled for! I did this for you! Naru!" He called out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, Naru allowed Umino out of the sleeping bag and they were chattering away at they ate, though Umino was still a little depressed.

"I know right..."

"How could you! I was just trying to make you happy, Naru." Umino questioned as he cried.

"Sorry! But Umino, you know I was just kidding around!" Naru told him.

Ayame only laughed at their antics as she surveyed the food everyone had brought. Looking at Usagi's group, there was the standard onigiri with the funny faces, sushi rolls, Japanese egg rolls, sausages and hot dog octopi, rice, fruit, sandwiches, chicken, tempura shrimp, various meats on tiny little skewers, and an assortment of veggies. There were baby tomatoes, and carrots shaped in different designs. There were other things, but Ayame couldn't really tell what they were.

Hiroko's food was similar to theirs with the assortment she had, though Ayame was surprised by the amount of decoration her food had. But it was cute with the flower shaped carrot slices and rice balls shaped like cats. For Nanami, there was teriyaki, takoyaki or otherwise known as octopus balls, and of coarse, dango. Jing had Chinese Noodles in Peanut Sauce, Egg Rolls, and Chinese Chicken Salad. There was even something Jing had informed her were Tea Eggs. There was potato salad featuring a colorful assortment of vegetables such as bok choy, red bell pepper and green onion, and had a rice vinegar dressing. Taura opted for less oriental food options and went with Picnic baguettes, Lamingtons, and some Sausage rolls. Looking down at her own food, Ayame had Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Sandwiches, Torta rustica, and fresh Lemonade with some rosemary sticking out. All in all everything looked yummy.

As they girls chattered about the weather and various gossip, Usagi's eyes narrowed in on the food.

"Oh wow! All your lunches look so delicious!" She gushed.

"Your lunch looks like you must've dropped it on the floor." Rei informed the girl.

Looking at the rice balls, Ayame had agree, though she wondered if part of it came from Usagi swinging it around so much. The rice balls were misshapen.

"Knock it off! I made my rice balls with real tender loving care." Usagi retorted hotly.

"Oh really?" Rei asked, clearly not believing her.

"Unlike you, I took my time and made some food!" Usagi pointed out, making Rei growl at her as she looked down to her own food. All she had brought was RCDonald's burger, fries, and a drink.

Zeroing in on Makoto's lunch, Usagi eyed it like a hawk as she hummed to herself. "Hmm... As usual, your lunch is looking really tasty, Mako!"

"Hah! You think so? Go on, take whatever you like." Makoto offered politely.

"Really?!" Usagi asked, though Makoto looked like she was forcing her smile and regretting her decision.

Knowing how much Usagi could scarf down food, Ayame was going to guard her food carefully from the glutton.

Looking at the others, Naru and Umino were having a cute moment as Naru handed Umino his lunch.

"Here's your lunch, Umino."

"All this for me?!" Umino asked, looking at it as if it were the holy grail.

"So I guess that means you like it?" Naru asked.

"I'm sure it's the best lunch in the universe!" Umino declared, the boy moved to tears by the food.

"Stop exaggerating!" Naru told him, slightly embarrassed by his praise.

Meanwhile, Usagi's stomach was acting up again as she turned her attention to the bluenette and other blonde on her team.

"Hmm... Boy Ami, your lunch and Minako's sandwiches look really tasty as well."

"Oh, well have some!" Ami offered.

"Eat as much as you like!" Minako insisted.

Ayame knew they would come to regret it later.

Scarfing down some onigiri and a sandwich, Usagi noticed something. "Mmm! Hey, Natsumi! Where's your lunch?"

"I feed on energy, not food." Natsumi informed her.

"Huh?" Usagi asked, confused.

"What was that?" Ayame asked, whipping her head around to face the girl.

"Oh! Nothing!" Natsumi told them, but seeing Ayame's stare, came up with an excuse. "I, um, meant I'm full of energy so I don't need to eat. I'm not hungry. I just came to enjoy the cherry blossoms."

Usagi didn't believe her, thinking the girl was just embarrassed to say the truth. "I gotcha! You were just planning on eating off what everyone else brought, is that it?!"

"That was your plan!" Rei told her.

"Oh yeah? Well from what I can see, you're eating some of Mako's lunch, too." Usagi pointed out.

"Just shut it. Why don't you stuff your face with those ugly rice balls already?" Rei told her.

Usagi grunted at Rei before turning back to her food, while Ayame continued to watch Natsumi before turning back to her lemonade. But even then, she watched Natsumi from the corner of her eyes. What Natsumi had said, or at least what Ayame thought she heard, was odd.

Looking back at the girl, Ayame reviewed what she really knew about the girl. Personally, Ayame hadn't spoken to Nastumi much, they were just acquaintances really. However, besides the fact Natsumi was interested in Mamoru, Ayame didn't really have anything against her.

Looking at her food, Ayame cut out a slice of her Torta rustica and placed it on a napkin before holding it out to Natsumi. Despite what Natsumi may or may not have said, there was no reason Ayame couldn't try and befriend the girl. At the very least she could be polite. As might as well use the opportunity to test something. After all, she didn't mind sharing her food as long as it wasn't with Usagi. Ayame knew the blonde would eat everything if given the chance. Ayame wanted to eat it too.

When Ayame held out the food, Natsumi blinked at the offering. Looking between Ayame and the food.

"Huh?" Natsumi asked.

"It's called Torta rustica. It's a cornmeal pastry, basically a pie. Try it."

"No thanks, Mascari. Like I said, I'm not hungry." Natsumi told her, waving her hands back and forth as if she was warding off the food. The way she so strongly opposed the idea, you would think it was poisoned or carrying a disease.

"Natsumi, surely you don't think I'd be stupid enough to try and poison you." Ayame said with a chuckle.

The comment only made Natsumi lean further away in terror.

"Oh, come on. Try it. Don't tell me you're a picky eater or on a diet of some sort. One taste won't hurt you. I promise. Now, take a bite, and really savor the taste." Ayame told her.

With a grimace she couldn't contain, Natsumi took the slice of Torta rustica. Taking a bite, Ayame kept a close watch as Natsumi slowly chewed it before swallowing it. When she did her face was blank.

"So?" Ayame asked.

"It's okay..." Natsumi muttered.

"Good! Eat the rest! Waste not whatnot!" Ayame told her cheerfully, Natsumi gave her a strained smile and begrudgingly ate it.

Meanwhile, Usagi was still angry with Rei, she was brought out of her mussing when Nanami nudged her, handing her some extra hot mustard. Beaming at her coconspirator, Usagi put it on one of the sandwiches she had gotten from Makoto.

"This tastes great! I want you to have the other half." Usagi offered Rei.

"Oh! How generous and so unlike you!" Rei said as she happily accepted it.

Taking a bite, the girls continued to talk as Nanami began a count down. Soon enough the mustard took effect.

"Fire!" Rei shouted, Ayame could practically see fire coming out of her mouth as she spun around. Only to fall to the ground muttering quietly the end of her signature move. "Soul."

Seeing their prank come to fruit, Usagi and Nanami began laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. The two giving each other high-fives.

"Why you! You're just so unbelievable!" Rei yelled as she tackled Usagi.

"That's what you get for being so mean!" Usagi yelled back as the two tumbled around.

""Mean"?!" Rei questioned.

"Yeah!" Usagi insisted.

"What if my appendix bursts from eating that?!" Rei yelled. The two continued arguing while Nanami watched the chaos ensue, happy she wasn't dragged into the fighting.

Off to the side with cans of cat food, Luna and Artemis could only sigh.

"Don't get mad, don't get mad. I mean after all, we're not in school." Ms. Haruna muttered, trying to not go ballistic on them. "So, you all get a free period hour starting now!" She cheerfully informed them.

The girls finally stopping their roughhousing as the entire group stared at her.

"Uhh, wait a second. Ms. Haruna, we're not in school right now." Usagi pointed out.

"Oh! Right!" Ms. Haruna replied, embarrassed she had fallen into her old habits.

The majority of the group giggling at her expense. Natsumi didn't bother to join in. Looking around, Natsumi noticed her brother near the trees, staring in their direction. He wore a light blue button up shirt, kaki pants, and a light green sweater hanging off his shoulders.

The others hadn't noticed him yet, Usagi of course had nothing but food on the brain, even though they had just ate.

"Hey, they're selling lots of delicious buns at that stand over there!" Usagi pointed out.

"Isn't it kinda weird for a bun-head to be eating other buns?!" Rei joked.

"You're being mean again!" Usagi yelled

"C'mon! Cut it out you two!" Makoto told them, trying to stop yet another fight.

"She started it! Don't make fun of me! I have feelings too, you know! How would you like it if I did that to you!" Usagi questioned.

Among the trees, Seijuro's eyes were on Usagi alone. "How beautiful..."

"So, you really think she's beautiful?" Natsumi asked, hurt lacing her voice.

Seijuro jumped a little when he finally sensed her beside him.

"No, you're misunderstanding me. I wasn't referring to Usagi at all, An." He assured her.

"I don't believe you." Natsumi bluntly told him as she walked away.

"I was simply commenting on the beauty of these cherry blossoms!" Seijuro explained.

Leaning against one of the trees, Natsumi chuckled. "Well, that doesn't matter." She said as she circled the tree, An appearing as she returned.

"All that can wait. Right now, let's focus on extracting some fresh energy from these young humans." An suggested.

"Yes, I was actually thinking the exact same thing." Ail responded as he too turned into his true form. Pulling out seven cards, he began their routine.

"Pick one, An..."

Picking the one in the center, the card glowed before shooting up in the air. Flipping over, the image was peculiar. The background was a pitch black night. There was a cherry blossom tree with flames surrounding it. Wrapped around the trees thin trunk what appeared to be a white spirit without legs, yet it's arms were thin and branch like. At the base of the tree, hands were trying to grasp it, coming from the dirt and roots of the tree.

Standing back to back with An, Ail played his flute, the music awakening the monster within.

It's blue eyes glowing red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

With lunch over and Ms. Haruna giving them a 'free period hour', the group split into smaller ones to wander among the cherry blossoms. They would regroup later, but for the moment they were free to wander wherever they wanted as long as they let at least one other person know where they were going.

Usagi, being the glutton she was, went off to the bun stand to get more food. The planetary Sailor Guardians joining her to keep an eye on her or wandered wherever they wanted. Ayame wasn't totally sure what they were up to.

As for the Four Winds of Earth, Jing had gone to gather some of the blossoms. It was a family tradition of hers to gather the blossoms and pickle them to use in cherry blossom tea they would drink the next year. Nanami was paired together with her, but was mostly busy taking pictures for references later on in her work and watching the various families gathered there. As for Hiroko and Taura, the former had brought a shogi board and was teaching Taura how to play while they sat on the picnic blanket under the cherry trees.

Ayame's group consisted of Umino, Naru, Ms. Haruna and herself. They had wandered away from the other visitors in the park to a more secluded and quiet part of the park. For the moment, it was just Ayame and Naru standing among the trees. Umino was back cleaning up their picnic area and had left to put away the wrappers from their food and such into recycle bins while Ms. Haruna had gone to buy some drinks.

Standing there timidly, Naru fidgeted as she stood beside the princess, looking nervous. From the corner of Ayame's eyes, she could see Naru opening her mouth only to close it again as he nerves got the better of her.

"Naru." Ayame started, making said girl jump with a start. Chuckling, Ayame turned towards the girl to give her undivided attention to the ribbon wearing girl. "There's no need to be so nervous around me. We're friends after all. I never had you punished for speaking what was on your mind and I certainly won't start now. Now, what is it you want to say or ask me?"

"I know that. You've been a wonderful friend. It's just... Well," Naru started, still looking uncomfortable with what she was about to say. "I was wondering about your powers. Have the guys figured out what was wrong yet? Has there been any change?"

Naru had been uncomfortable bringing up the topic since she had heard what had happened the other day when Ayame had informed the Four Kings of Heaven. Naru hadn't wanted to cause her friend unneeded stress.

Ayame sighed as she looked back up at the blossoms above her. In all honestly, Ayame had been trying to put the problem with her powers out of her mind. She knew she would only stress about it and worry herself sick, something that would do no one any good. With another sigh, Ayame answered.

"The guys haven't found anything yet. I can still transform, but that's hardly something to cheer about. I might as well stay in my civilian form for all the good it does me. My attacks are weaker than before even with the aid of my sword, Earth's Defender Blade. Half the time, my Dawn's Rose wilts before it can damage anything, same as Gaea's Call. We're lucky so far in that the enemy hasn't been acting up recently since the virtual reality theater. However, they won't be silent for much longer. If nothing about my powers changes for the better soon..." Ayame trailed off, both knowing what would happen if nothing changed an the enemy attacked again,

"We plan on contacting Helios soon. Hopefully, he can help shed some light on the situation and give us some answers as how we can fix this." Ayame finished.

The news wasn't good, but the truth was often ugly. Both girls were silent, Ayame had nothing else to say and Naru honestly didn't know what to say. There was little she could do. Thinking for a moment, Naru smiled once she remembered something.

"Well, in the meantime, I have something for you." Naru spoke, drawing Ayame's attention back to her.

"You mean-?" Ayame asked as Naru nodded.

"I've finished your new sword and I think you will be pleased. It should be stronger than the Earth's Defender Blade. I didn't bring it with me on the picnic since it would draw too much attention, but I stashed it somewhere safe so you could get it before we left the park."

With this news, Ayame couldn't help but smile. "You're a life saver, Naru. I can't wait to see it and try it out."

"Don't thank me yet. There's no guarantee it will work correctly. It might help or it might not. I still need to work on the other's new weapons too."

"Knowing you made it, I'm sure it will help at least a little." Ayame informed her before enveloping Naru in a hug. "Thank you so much. Without you, we wouldn't be able to protect those we care about half as well as we have been since receiving the weapons you have made. You are an important part of this team and I am thankful to have you with us."

Touched by her friends words, Naru simply smiled and returned the hug.

The moment was ruined when Umino returned. "Naru! Want to go for a walk?"

Sighing, the girls let go as they turned to watch Umino walk towards them.

"Go ahead, Naru. Enough of this gloomy talk. Today is about enjoy the cherry blossoms with friends and family. Go have fun with Umino." Ayame encouraged her.

"Are you sure?" Naru asked.

To which Ayame nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to go watch Taura and Hiroko play. You two have fun."

With a smile and a wave, Naru met Umino half way. Watching the two lovebirds, Ayame headed back towards the others.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now alone with only nature as their audience, the young couple fell into a comfortable silence as birds tweeted and other little animals went along their business. Falling from the tree, a single petal landed in Naru's outstretched hand.

"This is so nice." Naru muttered.

"Cherry blossoms are pretty, but to me, you look even more beautiful than they ever could." Umino praised.

Blushing, Naru look away, flattered by his praise yet still embarrassed none the less.

"Doesn't it ever embarrass you to say that kind of stuff to me?" Naru asked.

"No, I am only saying what's really in me heart." Umino told her earnestly.

Despite being embarrassed, Naru couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, sure. You know, honestly... Huh?!" Naru asked as she looked behind Umino.

"What?" Umino asked as he turned around to see what has startled Naru. Only to be spooked himself. "Huh?!"

Not too far away from them, was a small cherry tree, but unlike the others what made this particular tree different from the rest besides its size was the lack of petals and leaves. It looked like it was dead and had been for some time. There was something off about the barren tree that sent shivers up Naru's spine, dread growing in the pit of her stomach as she couldn't rip her eyes away from it. It was the same feeling she got whenever there was a monster lurking around.

Umino could feel it too, judging from his nervous groans. The negative aura in the air as it surrounded them and suffocated them with the heavy oppressiveness of it all. It was almost as if there was something twisted among the branches, a spirit that would not allow them to escape or look away.

"What's that?!" Naru shouted, unsure of what she was seeing but had an inkling as to what it truly was. She clutched Umino's shirt is search of comfort and safety, yet there was nothing either of them could do as a circle of light shined up from below their feet.

Screaming, the couple held each other. The light shooting up like a pillar as cherry blossom petals flew up from the ground. Then, as soon as it had started, the pillar of light faded. The couple's screams already faded into silence, by all appearances everything was back to normal. Yet the animals did not return. Oblivious to what had just transpired, Ms. Haruna returned with the canned drinks.

"Okay, who wants drinks?" The teacher asked, cheerfully before gasping at the sight of her students. Dropping the cans, she ran over to them. The two of them sprawled out on the ground with petals scattered around and underneath them.

"Umino! Miss Osaka! What happened?" She asked as she kneeled down beside them. Reciving no answer, she pleaded for them to awaken. "Wake up you two! Huh?!" She asked as she sensed someone behind her. Turning around, Ms. Haruna's eyes met with another woman's.

Looking at the woman, her appearance similar to those of a woman from Japan's Heian Period. She possessed shiny, blue flowing hair. Her face so pale, it almost looked like white porcelain. Her lips were painted small and red, and eyebrows were plucked or shaved. Redrawn higher on the forehead and smaller. The woman wore a plain light lavender furisode kimono, the kind of kimono usually worn by young, unmarried women. Which were easy to identify because of it's beautiful, long sleeves. Holding the dress closed was a red obi in the fukura suzume obi knot style. The obi-age, sash that is tied between the top of the obi and the kimono was the same color as the obi but had speckles of green in it was placed in a furisode-exclusive style, with one side "tucked in" the collar.

All in all, the woman was beautiful. But Ms. Haruna had little time to pay attention to such things as she grasped the woman's kimono in desperation.

"Please, I beg you! Can you go get someone? We need help here!" Ms. Haruna pleaded.

The woman said nothing as her eyes bore into Ms. Haruna's. Capturing the teacher in her spell before smiling. Ms. Haruna blinked in confusion before the woman's eyes glowed red. In the distance, no one heard her screams as yet another pillar of light and cherry blossoms sprang up only to disappear.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later, the smaller groups had gathered back together. However, three members had yet to return. It was unlike Ms. Haruna to forget the time, she was the one to set it to begin with. It was even more unusual for the punctual Umino. With Naru with him, she shouldn't have been late either.

Growing worried for them, the girls set off in search of them, leaving at least one member behind in case their teacher and the young couple returned. Promising to use their communicators when they found them, the rest hurried off. The one who found them was Usagi. The three of them collapsed on the ground.

Unsure as to what to do, Ami suggested they take them to the caretaker's office. It was nice and cool and allow the three to recover, and hopefully Mr. Kokurtitsu would know what happened to them and be able to help. With the help of the others, they carried them there.

Once there, Mr. Kokurtitsu showed the girls where to put them, having a couch for Ms. Haruna to use as a bed and another for Umino and Naru who leaned against each other.

"Hmm... I think once they get some rest, they should be fine." Mr. Kokurtitsu informed them as he got up from looking over Naru and Umino.

"It's strange. I can't figure out what's going on here." He confessed as he sat down at his desk chair. "You're like the tenth group today that said their friends had suddenly passed out."

"That many?!" Usagi questioned.

"Yeah, and it's way to early in the year for heat stroke. I wonder what it could be..." Mr. Kokurtitsu muttered. "Luckily, some men have found them and brought them here until they got better."

"Men?" Ayame asked.

"Yes. Three of them to be precise. They said their names were Masato, Chiyu, and Teiso if I remember correctly." Mr. Kokurtitsu answered.

'Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite!' Ayame thought. 'What are they doing here? Nephrite and Kunzite had business meetings and Zoisite was staying at the mansion to-! Watch over the machine in case another Cardian appeared!'

Looking down at Luna and Artemis, she could see that they had come to the same conclusions she had.

Jadeite didn't waste a moment as he rushed out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the three knights were gathering together to discuss their findings.

"Any sign of the Cardian?" Kunzite asked his protégé and his fellow warrior.

"No. We've patrolled the park multiple times since we arrived and we haven't found it yet. The scanner showed that a Cardian was activated and is in the area. But we can't get an exact location on it." Zoisite reported.

"It was certainly easier with Phalion." Zoisite complained with an exasperated sigh.

"It's hard to miss a pink lion terrorizing people." Nephrite retorted.

"Though," He relented as he thought about their current foe. "This one is quieter and stealthier that any of the others. This one is either smarter and perhaps more powerful than the others to be able to hide its own presence from us. Or it's weaker than what we are use to that the three of us are unable to sense it and keep missing it."

Kunzite nodded with Nephrite's thoughts before adding his own.

"We know it's somewhere in the park. We certainly keep finding its victims to prove that, but they're in multiple locations." He said as he pulled out a map he had gotten from Mr. Kokurtitsu and circled the locations the victims appeared. "Despite finding it's victims, there isn't a trace of the monster anywhere. Just cherry blossoms."

"Do you think we should evacuate the park?" Zoisite asked. "If we do nothing at this rate, the Cardian will only take more victim's energy."

"If we do, we might cause the other visitors to panic and that might do more harm than good." Nephrite spoke before growling in frustration. "The enemy sure picked a good time to absorb energy. Cherry blossom viewing is a day and night event and will go on for quite a few days. There's no telling how many victims they can attack if nothing is done."

Kunzite thought for a moment "We'll wait until sunset and ask Mr. Kokurtitsu to close the park for the night. If we can't find it by tomorrow morning, then we will have to keep it closed until we do. Hopefully, with all other prey gone, it will be forced to reveal itself to us in an attempt to steal our own energy."

"Should we tell the girls?" Zoisite asked. "They might be in danger."

"They already know!"

Turning, the three turned to see Jadeite rushing towards them. Waiting for the cat to reach them, he panted before informing them of what happened.

"Ms. Haruno, Umino, and Naru have been attacked! They're with Mr. Kokurtitsu recovering."

"What!?" Nephrite yelled before scowling at himself for his failure to protect his sister.

"The majority of the girls have gone to where they were found to investigate. Ayame and Usagi are with Naru, but they will probably join the others." Jadeite reported.

Without another word, Nephrite ran towards the caretaker's office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, you think their energy's been stolen!" Usagi said, asking for conformation from the remaining felines as they left the office and stood outside.

"Mm-hmm! Based on how weak they are, I'm sure that's what this is." Artemis answered.

Ayame growled at herself. "I shouldn't of let those two go off alone!"

"The others are checking out where it happened. We'd better go meet up with them!" Luna suggested.

"Right!" The two princesses shouted in agreement before running off.

As they left, Nephrite ran to the building them had just left.

Entering, he tried to remain polite to Mr. Kokurtitsu as he greeted him before turning his attention to Naru. Remorse filling him.

Mr. Kokurtitsu asked if he knew her, which Nephrite replied yes to. After that, the caretaker left to go take care of something Nephrite didn't care to listen to.

Now alone, he gasped as Naru showed signs of awakening.

"N-Nephrite?"

"I'm here." He answered as he held her hand. "Forgive me, Naru." He said, his guilt showing. "You were attacked by a Cardian. I should have been there."

"Cardian…?" Naru replied numbly before it connected as she tried to stand.

"You're too drained to move. Please rest. The others and myself will handle it."

"A-Ayame, needs her new sword." Naru told him as she settled back down.

"New sword? I'll go get it and make sure she receives it." He assured her.

Nodding, Naru told him before going back to sleep.

With a new objective and knowing his sister was safe, Nephrite went to go get the new weapon and give it to its rightful owner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Out in the woods, surrounded by the cherry blossom trees, the Sailor Guardians and the Four Winds of Earth were surveying the area in their civilian forms.

"So, this is where Ms. Haruna and some of the others collapsed, right?" Makoto asked, she didn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary.

"Yep. This is where Hiroko, Ayame, and I went to when Usagi needed help carrying the others to the caretaker's office." Taura confirmed.

"Looks the same when we were here earlier." Hiroko remarked.

"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual here..." Ami said.

"You can't always trust your eyes, they will deceive you. Something about this place isn't right." Jing said as she shivered, but not of the cold. Something about the place was unsettling. It was void of any sound of nature. All the animals had disappeared. "It's not that noticeable, but there's something in the air. The wind is too still and calm. It's too quiet here." She explained, slightly trembling in fear.

Minako nodded. "We should stay on guard!"

"Just where is the darn thing?" Nanami asked in a huff as she crossed her arms. "When we dealt with the previous monster, Minotauron and Hellant were confined to inside buildings. We didn't have to hunt down and search for them. But Vampir and Phalion were unleashed out into the open and they weren't exactly subtle, you know. The enemy seems to be getting smarter about all of this."

The others nodded, Nanami's observations making them uneasy. They still had yet to uncover anything concrete about their enemy. Besides being aliens, how they might have arrived, and what their minions were called, the Sailor Guardians of the Planets and of Earth had little information about their foe. They didn't know the long term goals of their enemies or where they were hiding. If the enemy was getting smarter about their tactics, who knew what would happen to the residents of Tokyo.

As they continued to look around, wind finally began to blow through the trees, scattering the petals. Jing shivered, the dread growing.

"I sense it. I sense an evil aura..." Rei muttered, her brow furrowed as she focused on the slight trace of energy. Swiveling her headed around, Rei looked in the direction of the petal-less, dead cherry tree.

"Hey! What's that?!" Minako asked alarmed as the suffocating, heavy oppressiveness of a negative aura emanated from the tree. Twisted among the branches, it looked like a spirit was trapped among them.

Gasping at the sight of the tree, the eight of them looked closer at the tree. Frozen in shock as the gazed at the tree. Noticing something that looked as if it came straight from a horror film. Her form meshed together with the tree was the woman Ms. Haruna had run into before she was attacked.

Arms intertwined with some of the lower branches, yet jutted out as the rest of her body combined with the trunk of the tree. Her head lolled to the side as it too stuck out along with her left shoulder. Below, parts of her upper and lower legs peaked out as roots were attached to them. Her long hair was also attached to the tree while the shorter parts hanged out of reach of any bark.

Opening her eyes, they glowed red as circles of light appeared underneath each girl, making them release started screams as wind and cherry blossoms enveloped them from below.

Rushing towards their location, Usagi gasped at the sounds of her friends screams and the appearance of the pillars of light she could see barely in the distance.

"They're in trouble!" Artemis yelled.

"Transform!" Luna ordered.

Nodding, the princesses did as instructed.

"Moon Prism Power! Make Up!"

"Gaea Founding Power! Make Up!"

Appearing at the scene, Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea gasped at the site of their friends. Each trapped in a pillar of light, forming a circle underneath a now healthy blossoming cherry tree. Most of the girls were still standing, though they looked as it they had rope tied around their arms. Rei was forced down to her knees as they all grunted in pain as their energy was sapped away.

"That tree is stealing their energy!" Artemis yelled from his hiding spot with Luna beside him in the bush.

From out of the tree, the woman from before, the Cardian summoned by Ali and An, appeared. Laughing at them with a mischievous smile.

Sailor Moon allowed a scared gasp to escape her at the sight of the monster.

Sailor Gaea was amazed at how human the Cardian appeared. Compared to her predecessors, it was a no wonder why no one had caught on to her being a Cardian before. Her form made it easy to sneak up on her victims before they knew what hit them.

Freeing herself from the bark, the monster rushed at the two princesses.

"Ah!" Sailor Moon shouted at the sight before her. The Cardian rapidly moving towards them, the sleeves of the kimono flew behind her in the wind as roots that were attached to her legs trailed behind her.

"Ahh!" Both princesses yelled as they dodged out of the way of charging monster. The monster kicking up a dust cloud that forced the felines into a coughing fit. Running towards the battle, Jadeite had left the other knights soon after Nephrite did and ran straight there. He was shocked by what he saw.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna cried.

"Sailor Gaea!" Jadeite yelled.

Of the two of them, Sailor Gaea had tried to remain on her feet, unfortunately she had tripped over Sailor Moon. Brushing herself off, she looked down at Sailor Moon who was on her hands and knees. Beside the blonde was a trail the monster had left in her wake. It looked as if someone had tried to up root a tree and dragged the roots without them snapping. Looking back at the monster, it too looked back at them.

"Ahh!" Sailor Moon shuddered.

Only for the monster to chuckling at them. Looking at the monsters feet, Sailor Gaea gasped at the sight that the Cardian had no feet, instead of feet were roots jutting out from her ankles that pooled around her while a few others traveled up her legs. If her kimono had been close properly, she would look just like a human but wearing a little too much white powder.

Sailor Moon whimpered at the sight of her.

Sailor Gaea could not help but scoff at her fellow Sailor Guardian while she pulled out the Earth's Defender Blade. She would admit the monster was freaky, but sitting there whimpering wasn't going to solve anything. She just hoped her sword still worked and would give her the power boost she needed to fight this thing. Holding her sword, she sneaked a glance back at the others.

They seemed to be holding out for now, but she didn't know how long they would last while being drained. For all Sailor Gaea knew, the monster could be using their energy to make herself stronger. If so, the Cardian could make the battle drag out and weakening herself while the Cardian had energy to spare. If that was the case Sailor Gaea needed to remove the power source and go to aid her friends. Together, they would have a better chance of winning in case her powers failed.

But she still had to deal with the monster. How to go about it?

Sailor Moon could distract the monster for her, but Sailor Moon's only attack wasn't working the last time, and there was no telling how long she would last in such a state. Sailor Gaea could be the distraction, but there was the possibility that if one of them got close to the tree, they could end up like the others. Would her attack even work now, even with the aid of the sword?! Gritting her teeth, she just didn't know what to do!

Growling at herself, Sailor Gaea decided to try and help the others. With Sailor Moon's powers and her own be unreliable of late, the chances of them defeating the monster with just the two of them was slim. They needed help. With the knights off somewhere else, there was no guarantee they would make it there in time. The girls were their best option.

"Sailor Moon. I'm going to try and free the others. Keep this thing distracted as long as you can." Sailor Gaea informed her.

"Um. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sailor Moon asked nervously.

"If you have any other ideas I'm open to hear them." Sailor Gaea replied as she edged away, her front facing the monster as she slowly walked backwards towards the others. The monster was still a threat even if Sailor Moon managed to distract it, no way she was going to leave herself open to attack that easily.

"Sailor Moon! You have to stop her!" Luna yelled, beside her Artemis looked worried.

"I know that!" Sailor Moon yelled back before taking out her tiara to attack. "Moon Tiara Action!"

Like all the other times before, the tiara zipped through the air as it glowed and headed towards the monster, but like the time with Hellant, the tiara lost it's glow. Reaching the monster, she simply batted it away. The attack having no effect.

"Huh?! Oh no! It's not working again!" Sailor Moon cried.

"Tsk. Darn it!" Sailor Gaea yelled. She had a feeling this would happen, she needed to change the plan, she just hoped the sword would have an effect on the monster.

"Sailor Moon, be careful!" Ami warned her.

"Make sure...not to look in her eyes!" Rei bite out.

"If you look into...her eyes...she'll trap you!" Nanami explained.

"She'll drain you like the rest of us!" Jing warned them.

"Her eyes?!" Sailor Moon questioned.

Sailor Gaea whipped back to look at the others. 'Why didn't they say that sooner!?' She thought. If they had told her sooner, she wouldn't have had to worry about it and come to their aid sooner.

"A little slow on the update don't you think!?" Sailor Gaea asked as she turned to face her friends.

"Look out!" Luna cried out.

"Huh?!" Sailor Moon shouted as she and Sailor Gaea whipped back around to see the monster charging towards them.

Rushing forward herself, Sailor Gaea moved to intercept the monster, slashing at it with her sword. Seeing this, the Cardian grabbed in between her hands and continued to charge forward, Sailor Gaea's feet skidding back by the sheer force. Her arms straining to not let go and hold the sword steady. However, the strength of the monster proved too much. Moving her hands, the Cardian snapped of part of the blade.

'The Earth's Defender Blade's been...' Sailor Gaea thought. Her mind not fully comprehending what just transpired. Gasping in shock, Sailor Gaea was given no time to recover as the monster plowed into her, forcing Sailor Gaea to the ground as the monster ran her over and raced towards Sailor Moon. The roots from the monster's feet bit into her skin, creating little cuts and slashes here and there as she was left in the monsters dust.

Soon, the monster grabbed a hold of Sailor Moon. Her nails digging into Sailor Moon's uniform at the shoulders.

"Ahh!" Sailor Moon cried out, grunting as she tried not to be forced back, only to end up screaming as the monster jumped up and forced Sailor Moon to the ground. Pined underneath her.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna cried.

"Sailor Gaea!" Jadeite called out to the princess, rushing to her side.

Coughing from the previous tumble she took, Sailor Gaea looked at the cat before giving him a strained smile. "I'm fine." Looking away from him, she turned to more important matters.

Groaning, Sailor Moon opened her eyes only to accidentally look into the monsters eyes. "Oh no!"

But it was too late. The monster's eye glowed red as the ground underneath them glowed in a white circle. Cherry blossom petals flying up with the wind somehow coming from below. Sailor Moon screaming in pain as the draining process began.

The girls gasped in shock and worry for their comrades, but were helpless to do anything against it.

"Sailor Moon!" Ami and Sailor Gaea cried out.

Rising to her feet, Sailor Gaea rushed towards the monster and Sailor Moon. In her hand was what was left of the Earth Defenders Blade. Even if it was broken, she hoped she could still stab the monster with the parts of the blade still attached to the blade.

Sailor Moon groaned in pain, trying to break the hold the monster had on her and retain as much of her energy as she could. But the pressure was too much for the already weakened powers of the transformation brooch. The object glowing before the top part shattered.

"Ahh! My brooch!" Sailor Moon cried as the red ribbons that created her uniform unwound from around her from.

"Leshy!" The monster finally spoke as her face transformed into a more cat like appearance.

"Ahh! This can't be happening!" Sailor Moon cried as she soon returned to being Usagi Tsukino once again.

"Get off her!" Sailor Gaea yelled as she threw the remains of her sword at the monster.

Whirling around, Leshy batted it away the same way she had with Sailor Moon's tiara. Growling at Sailor Gaea, Leshy used the roots at her feet to wrap around the princess's ankles and with a tug, caused her to fall and proceed to drag her into the circle as well. Once Sailor Gaea was brought closer, Leshy then slashed at her, trying to make the girl look her in the eyes. The claws hitting her own brooch and causing her to transform back to Ayame Mascari.

Shocked by this, Ayame made the mistake of looking into the monster's eyes. "What have you done?!"

Now that both were trapped within the circle, Leshy released her physical hold on them and floated above the two girls. Making the circle wider as her hands transformed into flowering cherry blossom tree branches.

Groaning, the two former Sailor Guardians flipped over, though they were weakened, they tried to escape.

"I have to save everyone!" Usagi yelled before screaming in shock, the ground underneath her become something akin to quick sand. The same happening to Ayame.

'How can we save them if we can't save ourselves!' Ayame thought as she tried to grab anything that would keep her from slipping further into the ground.

Barely making out what was happening from behind the tree, the Four Winds of Earth cried to their princess. "Ayame!"

"No! Usagi!" Minako cried.

"Usagi!" Rei yelled in fear.

"Usagi!" Makoto yelled through her pain.

"Usagi!" Ami yelled.

Each one of them helpless to intervene what transpired before them.

Grunting, both girls refused to give in though the situation was quite a dire one.

Unable to stand in silence and merely observe, Luna rushed out onto the battlefield. "Usagi!"

"Luna!" Artemis cried, unable to stop her.

Seeing where Luna was going and recognizing what she intended to do, Jadeite rushed to his princess's side as well. "Ayame!"

But Jadeite was not the only knight coming to join the fray. After finally locating the sword, Nephrite arrived on the scene in his knight form. Seeing the state of the battlefield, Nephrite came to an abrupt halt. Eyes widening in shock, he nearly dropped the weapon in his hand. He couldn't understand why the girls hadn't transformed until his mind came to the worst case scenario. They couldn't. They were powerless.

"Don't look into the monster's eyes!" Taura warned him upon seeing him appear.

"She'll trap you like the rest of us!" Hiroko added.

Looking in his direction, Ayame found irony in the situation. In her past life, she had died alone. The last one member of the Golden Kingdoms court standing that hadn't been brainwashed. Now, she would precede her treasured companions. Once again, Nephrite would be there to witness the end. At least in this life, she knew he loved her without a doubt. She hoped he could at least save the others and protect her brother. It no longer mattered that Mamoru didn't remember her. It was probably better this way. He would only lose a friend, he wouldn't have to go through the loss of another family member.

Chuckling to herself, a bitter, harsh laugh, Ayame could only smile sadly at her lover. "I told you, you wouldn't always be there for me."

"Ayame!" He cried out as he moved towards her.

"Don't!" She shouted, her authorative voice stopping him in his tracks. "Save the others!" She ordered, looking down before adding one last thing. "Protect Mamoru!"

Conflict raged in Nephrite's heart. He recognized the look in her eyes. She had resigned herself to the fate before her. She didn't see a way out. Seeing her, giving up, tore him apart. He desperately wanted to save Ayame, he knew he could do something! Yet his body refused to move. After all the years of training to obey the commands of his King, Queen, prince, and princess, it was hard for him to refuse her order.

He knew what it was, that order.

It was...

Her final request.

'...Forget it!' He thought as he charged towards her. Surprising Ayame with his action. He refused to be a coward. This time, this time, he would be there for her. It was better late than never. He refused to back down.

Struggling, Usagi began to despair. "I thought I... Could save all of you! I'm sorry!" She yelled out to them as she was dragged further down.

"Usagi!" Luna yelled as she came to the blonde's aid, grasping the cuff of her jacket with her teeth, trying to pull her back up. Yet, Usagi's body mass was too for one little cat, no matter how determined they were, to pull back up.

"Ayame!" Jadeite cried as he transformed into his human form. Grabbing her hands as he tried to pull her out as well, only for the quicksand to pull Ayame back down harder.

Seeing that Jadeite had gone to Ayame's rescue, Nephrite pushed himself to go faster to their aid. Two parts of him fought against each other as they both cursed and praised Jadeite for coming to Ayame's aid. The last part cursed himself for not arriving sooner to prevent this from even happening.

"Luna!" Usagi yelled in surprise.

"Jadeite!" Ayame shouted, giving a sharp yelp when the quicksand began to pull her back harder. "Let go! You'll only drag yourself in!"

"I'm afraid... I can't do... that... Milady!" Jadeite grunted as he and Luna struggled with all their might to rescue them.

"We...knights... We failed you, your brother, and their majesties. I refuse...to do so...ever again!" He shouted.

Ayame's eyes began to fill with tears, moved by the loyalty and sheer dedication of the knight. Ever since she had met him as Actaeon, he's been so loyal to her. At this point, when she had lost nearly all hope, she was thankful to him and all he had done for her.

"Let go! Get out!" Usagi urged her companion, trying to make her see it was futile.

Luna said nothing since her mouth was full, only grunting as she refused to give up.

Soon, Nephrite joined them as he grabbed hold of Ayame's arm. Both men putting their backs into it.

Ayame couldn't look them in the eye. "I never wanted you to see me like this!" She confessed.

'Weak, helpless, pathetic.' She thought. These were things a leader could not be, much less a princess. That was what was drilled into her as a child in her past life, she didn't want her companions, her loyal self appointed feline bodyguard, or her lover to see her in such a state.

"We... can discuss… this.. after we.. save you!" Both men grunted out.

Before, she could say anything, Ayame's hand slipped from Nephrite's grip, the quicksand taking full advantage of the opportunity as it pulled her down, along with Jadeite. Both screaming along with Usagi and Luna as the four of them were dragged beneath the surface. Leaving behind, Nephrite on his knees as the glowing circle closed. Leshy floating above him as he looked down at the ground in shock. Staring at his traitorous hand that allowed Ayame to slip from his fingers.

"Usagi! Luna!" Artemis cried out.

Still cadged in the pillars of light, the Sailor Guardians could only gasp in shock.

"Ayame! Jadeite!" The Four Winds of Earth cried out.

"Usagi!" Rei screamed.

But it was nothing compared to the roar that escaped Nephrite's lips. Ayame was right... he couldn't always be there for her. He failed her.

"AYAME!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the Juban Odyessia, the Makai tree was bursting with light as energy filled every branch and every leaf. The foliage growing strong and health with a vibrant red. So different from the shriveled grey wisps they had been since the tree began running low on energy.

"It appears that the Makai Tree is gathering a lot of energy." Ail observed, it was amazing yet, he held himself back from celebrating. There was still the chances of the Sailor Guardians coming in and wrecking everything.

An was a little more optimistic. "Now it's only a matter of time before our precious tree will be completely rejuvenated."

Silently agreeing with her, Ail knew they needed to take advantage of the situation before anything thwarted them. "Hear me now, Leshy! Continue! Keep gathering even more energy!" He ordered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the park, down in the depths Leshy had banished them, Ayame and Jadeite were falling. Ayame couldn't sense Usagi or Luna. She didn't where Leshy had sent them or if they were already dead. Ayame briefly wondered the same about herself and Jadeite. It certainly didn't feel like the last time she had died. Then again, the memory was rather fuzzy and she was distraught at the time for her first death to say the least.

But the place they were in currently, it felt familiar and warm somehow despite supposedly being trapped underneath the cold hard surface of the earth. It was something akin to the sweet embrace of a gentle mother. Holding her safe and secure. Perhaps it was Gaea herself, holding her chosen warrior and protecting her even now when the princess had lost her powers.

Having used up a lot of his own energy, Jadeite had returned to his feline form and Ayame held him in her arms.

'What a mess we've gotten ourselves into, Jadeite. My powers have significantly weaken, my brooch destroyed. The girls are trapped. Hopefully, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite can save them before it's too late. What are we to do now? You're too drained to free us from this prison.' Ayame thought with a sigh.

'I have become what I have strived to never be in this second life. I am weak...Unable to protect myself or anyone I truly care about. I am a failure of a princess and a leader.' Ayame thought, depreciating herself.

'Milady... You are a wonderful princess. You have embraced you duties and responsibilities with grace and poise. You have adapted swimmingly to even obstacle you have faced. There have been times you have stumbled, but you have done remarkable well.' Jadeite praised her.

'However, your weakness is that you worry too much and get stressed by many things. While it is good to not run away or ignore things, what you're doing isn't healthy. You spread yourself too thin.' He pointed out.

'Sailor Moon, she wants nothing more that to be an ordinary girl. She runs away from her problems. But where you have succeeded and she has failed, it is vise versa on another front. She relies on the other members of her team for help. Maybe a little too much, but I diagress.' He thought before continuing.

"You fail to fully rely on others. You confide in others when you have little choice. When you absolutely need advise or need to someone to talk to. There have been times you confided in others and have completely come apart like the other day. Sometimes, one must stop and smell the flowers. It's okay to rely on others. But you don't do this because you don't wish for others to sacrifice themselves for you again. It is disrupting your connection to Mother Earth. I believe the reason your powers are failing is an attempt to force you to rely on others more. Until you allow yourself to relax and rely on others, your powers will not return.' Jadeite warned her.

Ayame gasped at the realization, but before she could say anything, Jadeite spoke again through thoughts.

'Though, I believe it is my fault this happened. I have been with you for nearly a year, yet I did not fully realize this until recently. If I had been more aware and more attentive to your needs, this could have been avoided. I have no one to blame but myself. Forgive me.' He pleaded.

'It's not your fault, Jadeite. I am to blame... I have allowed myself get caught up in the past that I can not see the present. The girls are stronger than before. I should trust them and you more.' Ayame told him.

Soon, something changed in the area they were in. They no longer seemed to be falling head first down. Curled up, she was slowly floating in a space filled what she thought looked like stars and the colors of the rainbow. Shifting with every fleeting moment. In a way, it reminded her of the skirt of her Sailor Guardian uniform. It was like the place was filled with water, yet she had no trouble breathing.

"Where are we now?" Ayame asked herself as she looked around, the colors disorienting her. It didn't look like any purgatory she had ever heard of. In the end she looked from her surroundings only to draw her attention back to Jadeite who slept in her arms. "Jadeite..."

Giving him a bittersweet smile, Ayame petted his head. "You literally got dragged down with me this time..." She quipped to herself. "Such loyalty... I hardly feel worthy of it... Forgive me..."

"Princess Iris..." A voice called out to her, Looking up, Ayame saw a flash of gold and heard the sound of a clattering hooves and flapping of wings coming closer. Soon, Helios appeared, riding his Pegasus.

"Helios..." Ayame muttered, perplexed with his sudden appearance.

"It is good to see you, your highness. However, I wish it were under slightly more pleasant circumstances. Right now, we are currently inside your mind, you are dreaming. As the guardian of dreams, I have the ability to see the dreams of others and enter them if need be. It is because of this ability that I am able to speak to you. There is someone here that would like to speak with you. She has advice if you wish to seek it." Helios explained.

"Um, sure..." Ayame answered, giving him a shrug, wonder who in her mind or dream was willing to giver her advise. Would she technically be taking advise from herself? Shaking the trivial thoughts away, she focused on the priest. "I need to return to the surface as soon as possible. I must return to my friends. We must fight together if we are to stop Leshy."

Helios nodded and offered out his hand. "Take my hand."

Doing as she was told, the Pegasus whisked them away in a flash of light, transporting them to what Ayame recognized as the throne room of the Golden Kingdom's castle. It was different from the last time she had seen it. The beautiful chamber returned to its former glory.

Looking down at herself, Ayame realized she was in her attire as Princess Iris. The dress resembled a simple medieval dress. It was a light shade of lavender with light brown russet, gold, and light green decorating the bodice. One part forming an iris at the top. The bottom skirt flowed and touched the ground. hiding her feet. The shoulder had a cold-shoulder design and the rest of the sleeves were thin and veil-like in a royal blue flowing to her wrist. Around her waist was a white belt with the symbol of Earth embordered on it in gold and the four cardinal directing as well. In her ears was chrysocolla in quartz earrings shaped in teardrops with an star and iris carved in fine detail in it. Around her neck was a choker necklace with perfect pearls and gold chains the pendant a large piece of nephrite jade made to look like the symbol of Earth.

After taking note of her attire, Ayame continued to look around, only to gasp at the sight before her. Sitting on the throne, was none other that the former Queen of the Golden Kingdom, her first mother. The Queen was just as she remembered her, before the fall of the kingdom.

She wore her royal blue dress with fur lining the top and the ends of the long flare sleeves. The dress reaching to the floor. Wearing rings along with pearl earrings and necklace. In her hand was her scepter. Her hair was long and the same atomic orange as her daughters. She wore red lipstick and her eyes shined like the sapphire rings she wore. Her golden crown filled with sapphires and emeralds.

"Mother..."

"My little Iris... It is good to see you again." The Queen greeted her as she stood and walked down the steps of the dais. "Thank you, Helios. For bringing my daughter here."

"It was a pleasure your majesty." Helios replied with a bow.

"Would give us a moment?"

"Of course." He answered turning to leave the room before the queen stopped him.

"Oh, would you take Jadeite with you?" The Queen asked as she picked up the still sleeping cat from Iris's arms and held him out to Helios.

Nodding, Helios picked up Jadeite and without another word, left the room.

Now alone, Iris was unsure what to do. Seeing her mother once again, someone she thought she would never see again, she just didn't know what to do. She wasn't the same person she once was. Would the Queen disapprove of who she was now? Was she disappointed? Underneath her indecision, her confusion, Iris felt sorrow and grief.

Before Iris even realized it, tears freely fell from her eyes. Giving her daughter a sweet smile, the queen pulled her daughter into a much needed hug. Patting the girl's head as she shushed her, swaying a little as she began humming an old lullaby.

"It seems like only yesterday you stood before me like this, my little Iris." The Queen murmured into Iris's hair. "To think it has been over a millennia. Yet, even I can see how much you have grown. I have been watching over you and your brother. All this time. Your father has as well. We couldn't be more proud of how far you have come."

The words wracked another bout of sobs from the princess as she clung to her mother even harder. The two said nothing as they held onto the other, each giving the other comfort. One, a grieving mother who would possibly never get another chance to hold and tell just how much she loved her child. Doomed to never see her daughter grow into the beautiful woman she knew Iris would once day become. Only able to watch another woman take care of her precious baby. The other, a daughter that missed her mother desperately. A daughter who's life had once been cut short soon after the death of her mother, never given time to mourn her. To have the chance to see her again, alive, was something she had never dreamed of. At least before now, seeing as Helios told her he contacted her through her dream.

All too soon for the princess, the Queen reluctantly removed herself from the embrace. Seeing that her daughter had calmed down, the Queen raised her hands and cupped Iris's face and wiped the last remaining trail of her tears.

"Dry your eyes, my child. I believe you came here because you are in need of aid?" The Queen asked.

Nodding Iris composed herself. "Your Majesty... I don't know what to do." The princess confessed as she held out her broken transformation brooch. "My brooch was destroyed by the Cardian, Leshy. She has my friends trapped, being drained as we speak, and I myself am trapped underneath the ground. I don't know what has become of Nephrite, Zoisite, or Kunzite. I want to be strong. I want to save them."

The Queen looked grave as she assessed the damage done to the brooch. Breaking into a slight smile the queen reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out what appeared to be another brooch.

It was different from her previous one. It was golden and round in shape. The outer edge was made up of ten round jewels with different earthen tones, ranging from green emerald, yellow topaz, light blue aquamarine, and rich brown amber. The inner section was filled with three more round gems with two oval shaped light green ones along with tiny metal leaves that had been colored green.

"This is for you. This was once mine and my mother before me. It has been passed down through the royal family for generations. If there is no daughter, it is given to the bride the crown prince has chosen, then given her daughter or the next woman who marries into the family." The Queen explained as she fastened it on the princess's dress.

"Think of the brooch you have had up until this point as a training tool. The powers you possess are strong, if not controlled carefully, it can cause you and others pain. To prevent that, the first brooch allowed you to slowly tap into your powers at a safe level, until you are strong enough to be able to handle the strain your powers could possibly place on you body. Something to help prepare you for the next step in your powers. It wasn't meant to last forever. You will find this one much stronger." The Queen finished.

"Thank you. But my powers aren't working. Even if I can transform, will I be able to fight?" Iris asked as she clasped her hand over the new brooch.

"I believe Jadeite has already shared his thoughts with you as to why your powers have been failing you as of late?" The Queen asked.

With a nod of confirmation from Iris, the queen nodded. "Then answer me this. Are you willing to let others in?" Her face stern, tone serious.

"Yes."

"Confide in them when the burdens are too great for your shoulders alone?"

"Yes."

"Willing to relax every now and again?"

"Yes."

"Do you wish to stand side by side with those you cherish? Standing beside them as equals and never standing before or behind them?"

"Yes."

"Do you wish to save them?"

"More than anything!" Iris stated with conviction.

"Then there is nothing to hold you back." The Queen answered with a smile before looking out into the palace grounds though the open windows.

The air stirred and nature swayed, as if in joy. Celebrating Iris for her promises.

"Your conviction, your wish to save them to save them has reached our planet. Gaea, Mother Earth, she goes by many names. She watches over all of her children. She wanted you to grow strong. There are those who stand alone and are strong, but those even stronger, know when to let others in. Don't forget this lesson." The Queen warned her.

"Yes... Mother." Iris promised.

Giving her daughter one last hug, the Queen called Helios and Jadeite back into the throne room. The feline now awake.

"Helios, Jadeite. Thank you for everything you have done to help Iris and the others. Please continue your hard work and guide my daughter when needed." The Queen asked.

"Right." Both answered as the bowed.

"Now, to activate it, shout, 'Gaea Feudal Power! Make Up!' " The Queen directed Princess Iris.

Nodding, Iris moved to transform before stopped by the queen.

"Oh, before I forget. As for your relationship with Nephrite..." The Queen spoke, making dread worm its way into Iris's chest, waiting for what she feared was her mother's disapproval.

"While I wished you had told us beforehand, we don't mind. You have your father's and my own blessing. Now hurry. He needs you back." The Queen encouraged.

Iris nodded. "Thank you... For everything... Mother..."

Closing her eyes, Iris shouted out her new command for her transformation. "Gaea Feudal Power! Make Up!"

The first thing to happen was her brooch, the round gems changing color, like buds opening to reveal their splendid colors, the leaves glowing brighter and changing into a shade of full maturity. When the blossoms fully opened, the petals of light scattered, leaving the jewels in a myriad of new colors. Golden branches grew out from the brooch, wrapping around her form before flattening and weaving themselves into the white suit of her uniform. The petals gathered around her arms and legs, forming the gloves and boots. Next, leaves sprouted from the branches, forming the rainbow colored skirt and another branch forming the ribbon in the back. On her forehead, her symbol, the symbol of the planet Earth, appeared before being hidden underneath her tiara.

With her transformation complete, it was time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the surface, all Nephrite could see was red...

He was no longer aware of what he was doing, his body lashing out on its own.

Before this, when she first disappeared, he had been in a state of shock. Able to only stare at the dirt beneath him, at his hand that allowed her to slip from his grasp. The others who watched this, had cried out the names of their princess, each with their own horror and sorrow. But none of them could ever hope to compare to the pure grief and agony that ripped out of his throat when he called out her name.

The others couldn't help but flinch from the sound, the sound that roared into the sky, letting all that heard it know but a fraction of the pain he felt. The Four Winds of Earth heart's echoed in resonance. Feeling the despair run though their hearts. The sound carried through the wind like the haunting wails of a ghost. A heartbreaking sound, for that was what it was, the sound of Nephrite's heart breaking.

To be once again ripped away from his love, to have stood right there, and only to fail her. Once again. A part of him thought absently if they were doomed to this fate. To be reborn to love each other only for her to die while he either caused it or was helpless to stop her death. How cruel the stars were...to line up events for such things to happen.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he clawed at the dirt frantically. This couldn't be the end! He refused to let it end this way! They had been given a second chance! They were going to live their lives together! He was going to meet her family one day! He was going to propose and marry Ayame one day! He would not let her be ripped from his life for possibly forever. Without the power of the Silver Crystal, there was no guarantee they would be reborn in the same era again. He couldn't lose her!

Clawing though the dirt, he came across rocks that tore through his gloves and bit into his skin, scrapped raw as trickles of blood was drawn.

"Nephrite, stop!" Artemis called out to him. "It's too late! They're gone!"

Panting, Nehprite's hands slowed as he sat there. His form still as a statue as his eyes never once left the earth that now bore drops of his blood. Tears falling from his eyes as he began to lose hope. Quiet sobs leaving his throat. The woods silent, as if waiting for something, something to rip through the silence. Something to break, something to snap.

Until it did...

A growl cut through the air, breaking the hush that had settled. The girls looked at him in shock, seeing his body was beginning to shake uncontrollably. From silent sobbing, to snarling hisses and growls, and finally to maniacal laughter. The man tossing his head back as his laughter filled the clearing.

The girls eyes widened when they realized he was in utter hysterics!

"Nephrite!" The girls called out to him. But he didn't respond. He merely laughed, sobbed, and snarled again. A few of them wondered if he had lost him mind, the loss of Ayame driving him to madness in grief.

Leshy, was slowly backing away as if frightened of something before overcoming her reservations and lashed out at him. "Leshy!"

Before the girls could callout in warning, Nephrite unsheathed Ayame's new sword and slashed off Leshy's arms, the limbs falling to the ground as she screamed and backed away. The Cardian hissing at him as the limbs were replaced with ones made of branches. Looking at Nephrite, Leshy jumped back farther from him in fear.

If the girls could have seen Nephrite's face, they would have noticed how he was staring at the Cardian as if she were the only thing he could focus on at the moment. Carefully, he finally stood tall with the Ayame's sword in his hand. Turning on his heel, he looked to the long haired monster with an expression of twisted rage.

"You can regrow limbs, huh?" Nephrite asked mockingly.

"That's good. That means I can rip and tear you apart until I'm satisfied." He spoke, his lips were pulled back into a ferocious snarl, his eyes were narrowed, Gone was the sorrow from his eyes. Now, his eyes glowed with a thirst for vengeance. This man...He was no longer Nephrite, no longer the noble knight of the Golden Kingdom, but a true beast unleashed.

Now, the only thing that fueled him was his rage.

That had been hours ago. Now, night had fallen in the park.

At present, Nephrite was still fighting Leshy. Prior to this, Kunzite along with Zoisite that had joined the fray. They had attempted to aid Nephrite, though they had trouble due to trying not hit Nephrite. Their fellow knight still rampaging and unpredictable in his moves at best. Each of them managing to avoid looking into Leshy's eyes and ending up trapped like the others. The girls were still being drained, their bodies slowly being dragged into the tree and absorbed. The cherry blossoms flying around them as they appeared to be unconscious. Artemis had been trying to free them while Leshy was distracted, but it proved futile as a roots and branches swatted him away each time.

"It's no good! There's no way! I can't stop this thing alone!" Artemis spoke in despair.

"Leshy!" She growled out.

While Nephrite and Leshy were fighting, the two of them had left their marks on the other. Unknown to the others, she was forced to draw energy from the girls in order to keep up with Nephrite and the slashes Kunzite and Zoisite would deal out when they saw an opening.

"Leshy!" She screeched, before a blight light from over head blinded them and stopped them in their tracks. The glowing orb in the sky appearing, first black and then revealing itself as a perfect full moon.

"The Moon!" Artemis cried out, confused as to what was happening. Only to be even more so when he heard a familiar voice callout.

"Listen! Spring's the season for living, not hunting!" The voice of Sailor Moon yelled out from underneath the earth.

All those gathered whipped their heads towards the spot the two princesses had disappeared, hope rising in their chests as the earth glowed. A pillar of light forming as it widened, cherry blossoms flying past as the voice continued.

"And Cherry blossom viewing is one of the happiest times of the year for people, you monster! How dare you interfere with it like an old drunk!" Sailor Moon scolded the monster as she and Sailor Gaea appeared. Both back to back as their heads turned to glare at the Cardian.

The light fading as the portal fully closed, revealing Luna and Jadeite at their feet.

"Trapping the princess of Earth underneath the Earth was a poor decision on your part, monster. As for your use of the cherry blossoms, you will pay for turning nature of this planet against us!" Sailor Gaea shouted as she gave Sailor Moon space to move.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon declared as she finished with her favorite pose.

"I am Sailor Gaea! The protector of humanity and nature! On behalf of Mother Earth, I shall brighten the darkness and vanquish the evil within!"

"I don't believe it, you're all okay!" Artemis cried out in joy.

"Artemis!" Luna cried out in happiness of their return.

"Princess!" Zoisite and Kunzite shouted in relief.

Nephrite was left speechless. The hate and thirst for vengeance slowly leaving him as he could finally recognize his surroundings. His world no longer trapped in red as he came back to his senses and began to feel the pain from his injuries.

He almost thought he was hallucinating it. Seeing Sailor Gaea alive before him, he was tempted to pinch himself.

"Ayame..." He rasped out in a quivering whisper. Let out a faint breath of air, almost sounded like a strangled sob. Falling to his knees as the rage seeped from his body. Leaving him panting and weakened as tears of relief fell from his eyes. Ayame was alive...Ayame was alive!

However, before anyone could have a happy reunion, they still had a problem to deal with.

"Leshy!" She cried as she twisted her bark-like hands into real branches with cherry blossoms covering them. With the others too shocked to move, Leshy charged past them towards the girls.

"Leshy!" she cried again as petals shot out like bullets to the two princesses.

Only for Sailor Moon to attempt to dodge the projectiles while screaming. For Sailor Gaea, she had an easier time, noticing the monster was focusing her attacks on Sailor Moon.

"Still having trouble dodging?" Sailor Gaea joked.

"Leeeshy!" She screeched in frustration, forcing Sailor Moon to land against a tree. Breifly screaming before gasping and sliding down the bark of the tree as more petals cut into it. Creating a crater into the tree.

"Hang in there! Sailor Moon, you have to fight right now!" Luna yelled.

"Yeah, I know that." Sailor Moon called back.

"Leeeshhyyy!" She cried as the petals formed long pink nails before transforming her hands into claws.

Upon seeing the deadly instruments aimed towards her, Sailor Moon gasped. Kunzite and Zoisite, narrowed their eyes as they prepared themselves to step in.

"Leshy!" She charged.

Unable to escape, Sailor Moon flitched as she curled into herself and braced herself of the pain as she screamed.

'Idiot!' Sailor Gaea thought.

Before the knights stepped in to protect the princess of the moon, a single white rose was thrown into the monsters face, making her scream from the thorns cutting her. The monster began to futilely wipe away tears, petals, thorns, and blood.

Hearing this, Sailor Moon peaked her eyes open and gasped in surprise as she looked up into one of the nearby trees to see none other than the Moonlight Knight.

The Four Kings of Heaven looked up at him as well, interested to finally see this Moonlight Knight in person before focusing on the monster. Kunzite and Zoisite attacked it in an effort to keep it occupied while the Moonlight Knight monologed.

"It's a wonderful night for admiring the beauty of flowers. Cherry blossoms are so short-lived. I won't let you and your filthy hands misuse them!" Moonlight Knight yelled at Leshy.

"Moonlight Knight! It's you!" Sailor Moon cheered.

Sailor Gaea couldn't help up roll her eyes. 'What is it with him and trees?'

"Sailor Moon, Sailor Gaea, you are the ones that must save all your friends."

Sailor Moon softly gasped at his words. Sailor Gaea just shot him a look that said, 'Tell me something I don't know.'

Neither of them said anything to him as Sailor Moon looked back up at the moon, the floating object in the sky glowing before a ripple effect appeared. Watching her, Sailor Gaea watched as a scepter of some sort was hurtling down towards Sailor Moon until it stopped and levitated right in front of her.

From Sailor Gaea's position she could see was pink mostly. At the bottom, was a red jewel. Traveling up the scepter to the top part before the topper was three gold stars with tiny gold wings on the sides of a golden heart with another red gem inside it. The topper was a red sphere inside a gold crescent moon, above which sat a tiny crown.

Sailor Gaea watched as Sailor Moon asked what it was, but Sailor Gaea could neither hear nor see who the blonde was talking to. She had no time to focus on that as Nephrite shouted to get her attention.

"Sailor Gaea! Catch!" He shouted as he tossed the re-sheathed katana to her.

Catching it, Sailor Gaea removed the sheath and got her first good look at her new weapon. The base of the sword was a pale golden color with a hole through it for a red tassel hanging off. Above that part was the rest of the handle, red wrapping around it with bits of purple and gold peaking out to provide a better grip. The hand guard was different from any she had seen on normal katanas. It was shaped like four red lotus petals with bits of gold peaking out at the base of the petal. As for the blade itself, it looked as if wood had meshed together with the blade, covering the unsharpened edge. It was lined in pink as well.

It was if the blade was rising from the center of a lotus. Sailor Gaea found it funny in a way, the lotus had many meanings depending on color. Red lotus flowers in particular could take on a spiritual meaning of ascension, enlightenment, or rebirth. She saw it as a renewal or rebirth of her powers after she had become more enlightened by her mother.

It was certainly different from her Earth Defender Blade, but she was sure it would work beautifully. Naru had simply outdone herself. Unfortunately she had no further time to examine the sword as Leshy managed to slip past Kunzite and Zoisite.

"Leeeessshy!"

Sailor Gaea glared at it. "Blade of Burning Renewal. I call upon you, Mother Earth. Hear the cry of your children and guide my hand to your biding. Gaea Magma Inferno!" She cried out at monster. Swinging the katana in a circle, at the height she swung it down. When the tip touched the earth, magma erupted from the point and skimming the surface shot directly towards Leshy.

Sailor Moon activated her new move as she held the rod in front of her. Turning in a complete circle before facing the monster again. Holding above her head, the top flashes as an array of light shined. After waving it around further, Sailor Moon struck a pose before shouting her attack. "Moon Princess Halation!"

A flurry of pink sparkles shot out in a spiral followed by single crescent with tiny blue stars in the center moving to strike the monster.

Seeing the attacking coming, Leshy was frozen stiff as she stood there screaming, trapped in the forcefield of sparkles as both attacks hit her. "Cleansing!" Her form turning into petrified wood before burning. Then her form retreated into her card, falling to the ground before the image turned black with the smoke escaping it.

Far away from the scene, the aliens noticed immediately what had happened.

"Damn you, Leshy!" Ail cursed.

"It looks like she's failed us!" An seethed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

With Leshy gone, the tree that held the others captive returned to the small dead tree it once was and the girls were freed. Sighing in relief, most of the girls managed to sit up on their own, though Sailor Moon aided Ami. Jadeite and Zoisite helped Jing and Hiroko, while Kunzite helped Nephrite join the others. Sailor Gaea was helping Nanami and the Moonlight Knight stood nearby.

Sailor Gaea was surprised he didn't leave already.

"I'm so glad you're all okay." Sailor Moon told them.

"I'm just glad we weren't turned into fertilizer." Nanami joked, earning a few tired chuckles from the others.

"This experience brings a whole new meaning to the words 'tree huger'." Hiroko mused.

"I never want to see another cherry blossom tree in bloom ever again." Taura groaned.

"I don't think I'll be able to drink any more cherry blossom tea for a few years." Jing muttered, agreeing with her companions.

Sailor Gaea was happy they still had the energy to crack jokes about it, but a part of her thought they were being completely serious.

"Thanks for getting out out of there, Sailor Gaea." Hiroko thanked her.

"Same." Jing added.

"Ditto." Nanami shared her thanks to the princess.

"Thanks." Taura expressed her gratitude.

"Sailor Moon, Sailor Gaea..." The Moonlight Knight began, gaining the two princesses attention.

"Huh?" They asked as they looked up at him.

"You did quite well this time. Even cherry blossoms are no match for courageous young girls like you." The Moonlight Knight praised them, Sailor Gaea could hear the smile in his voice. "Adieu..."

"Thank you so much, Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon called out to him

As he turned and began walking away, before he could get far, Sailor Gaea shouted out. "Get him!"

Whipping around, his eyes widened as he caught sight of Jadeite, Kunzite, and Zoisite trying to tackle him. Letting out a shout, he ran off before they could get him. The Arabian themed hero disappearing into the night.

"Aw! He got away!" Sailor Gaea playfully whined.

"Sailor Gaea! What was that for!?" Sailor Moon yelled.

"Oh come on! You're just as curious as I am to know who is really under that mask. I wanted the guys to tackle him so we could solve the mystery. I guess we'll just have to try again another time." Sailor Gaea shrugged, not really bothered either way.

"Sailor Gaea!" Sailor Moon spoke, trying to admonish the girl before she was distracted by her teammates.

"Thank you, Sailor Moon...You-" Ami began, her words interrupted as Minako called out for the other blonds attention.

"Sailor Moon...?"

"Huh?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Thank you!" Minako told her.

"Thank you." Makoto echoed.

"Yeah, thanks a lot." Rei added.

Blushing, Sailor Moon could only giggle from their gratitude.

"Looks like Sailor Moon has made another step forward." Luna observed with a hopeful smile.

"Mm-hm! Now she needs to continue to work hard!" Artemis agreed.

"But I'd say, it would've been better for everyone if she'd gotten around to saving us a bit sooner!" Rei commented, ruining the moment.

"Strangely enough, I would agree with you, but seeing how it looked like our princesses died, I'm just glad they're both okay and so are we! Better late than never!" Nanami told her.

"There you go, Rei, being mean again!" Sailor Moon complained as she dropped Ami.

Causing Luna and Artemis to yell out as Ami landed on the poor white cat. Artemis grunting in pain.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon and Rei got into one of their stare offs as they stuck their tongues out at each other.

Watching this, Luna had second thoughts about what she had said. "On second thought, maybe she hasn't made any progress at all."

For Sailor Gaea, she slowly drew out her sword and the others backed away as they felt her threatening aura. "Sailor Moon... Rei..." She began, making the girls stop what they were doing and gulp in fear as they turned to looked at the orange haired girl.

"Maybe I should test my new sword out and cut out your tongues if you keep doing that..." Sailor Gaea threatened. They both cover their mouths when they realize their mistake. Seeing them stop, Sailor Gaea put away her sword.

"Well, I hope you're happy now, Rei. You ruined another beautiful moment with your thoughtless comments. Why do you keep doing this? I swear, it's like you go one step forward then ten steps back." Nanami scolded her.

"Nanami, I can handle this." Sailor Gaea told her. Nanami shrugging as she let Sailor Gaea talk.

"Rei, you should really be training yourself to control your childishness and not act like an ungrateful brat. It's disgraceful. And also, you need to get stronger so this kind of thing doesn't happen to you again."

"Whatever." Rei huffed.

Before Sailor Gaea could say another word, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

Seeing the knight and the princess would need a moment alone, Jing began gently pushing the others out of the clearing.

"Well, that was a cherry blossom viewing we won't forget. It's late, let's go home!" Jing told them.

Seeing what she was doing, the others helped as they all left.

Once they were gone, Sailor Gaea craned her head to try and get a look at Nephrite. This being thwarted as his head burrowed into her neck. His arms holding her tight, as if she would disappear the second he let go.

Recalling what happened, Sailor Gaea didn't blame him for his current actions. Looking down at his arms and hands, covered in bruises and scratches, she gasped at the sight of blood that had clotted and covered the scrapes.

Turing her around, Sailor Gaea gazed into his eyes. Words alone could not describe what she saw in his eyes. The fear, the heartbreak, perhaps a twinge of betrayal, the love, and the utter relief she was okay.

"A...Ayame..." He rasped out, his throat sore from his yells of fury, barely coming out in a whisper. His injured hand coming up to caress her cheek as she leaned into it.

Sighing, Sailor Gaea moved one of her hands up to first gently caress his hand holding her cheek before placing a gentle kiss on it while her other lightly brushed the hair from his eyes that had become disheveled from the fight.

"I'm okay... I'm here..." She assured him.

Bringing him into her arms, Nephrite had to bend down and as Sailor Gaea practically cradled him to her bosom like a mother would to a weeping child. Nephrite let out a faint breath of air, his body shuttering in relief as he clung to her with all of his might. Sailor Gaea was alive... Ayame was alive!

"Never again..." He muttered.

"Hmm?" Sailor Gaea hummed, cocking her head to the side in confusion having not properly hearing hi.

He looked back up into her eyes and sent her a look. His eyes blazing. "Never scare me like that again!" He yelled, panting and coughing before settling back down as Sailor Gaea rubbed his back.

Calming down he stood tall as he looked into her eyes, pleading with her. "Do you understand, my star?"

Sailor Gaea was cut off guard by the new nickname before she answered. "Nephrite...you know I can't really make any promis-"

"Ayame." He growled in impatience.

Sailor Gaea couldn't help but chuckle despite the situation. "Okay, I won't."

"...Good." He breathed out, lazily keeping his head against her shoulder and neck as he continued to hug her once more.

Sailor Gaea smiled down at him and gently ran her fingers through his dark tresses, distracting him from his darker thoughts with love and comfort. While doing so that she could look about his form to see the damage he had cause in his rage.

'He did all of this to himself because of me...?' Ayame thought as she noticed more and more cuts from Leshy scattered across his uniform.

"Ayame..."

"Yes?" Moving to regard him, Sailor Gaea squeaked in surprise when his lips suddenly collided with hers. Still frozen in shock, Nephrite began to lightly move his lips against hers as if she would break at any moment, his long hair gently tickling her skin as her hands moved on their own accord, wrapping themselves around her lover's neck. Her fingers entangling themselves in his dark locks. Wrapping his arms around her waist, his tongue caressed her lips, asking for entry. After what had happened, she couldn't deny him as she granted him access and shivered in delight once his tongue brushed against hers.

Breaking apart for air, he hugged her again before bringing her into his arms and carrying her like a princess. Making Sailor Gaea yelp in surprise. Without another word, he began heading out of the park.

"H-Hey! I can walk! I told you I'm fine. You're the one that needs attention. Your hands will get infected if they haven't already!" Sailor Gaea protested.

"Just let me do this for now..." Nephrite asked, Sailor Gaea looked into his eyes and once again saw the raging emotions within. "You can treat my hands later."

Sighing, Sailor Gaea nodded and let him have his way. Both knowing later they would have a deep discussion about this. For now, they would simply seek the others comfort in the night underneath the cherry blossoms.


	8. The Targeted Kindergarteners

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

Days past, and there was calm. The machines tracking the Cardians hadn't picked up a single trace of their energy. Considering the amount of energy they had gathered the last time, Ayame doubted they would come out of hiding to play again for at least a little while longer.

Turning away from her thoughts, Ayame focused and looked across the table to the princess sitting there eating pizza, some burgers, fries, parfaits, and some cake.

"The Silver Crystal? But it was lost in the arctic. I saw it." Ayame assured her.

Usagi nodded before trying to talk with her mouth full, Ayame couldn't make a word of it.

"The last person who saw the darn thing was me." Ayame stressed. "The last time I saw, it was still attached to the Moon Stick. When you fell and were absorbed into the light of our combined attack, it fell in with you. Since you lost the Moon Stick and didn't have it with you when you reawakened, I thought the Crystal had been lost forever as well. The girls and I searched ever nook and cranny when we went to the arctic to clear out the remaining Monsters. We didn't find a trace of it." Ayame further explained before pondering it all.

"How in the world did this happen?" She questioned herself. Sighing, she waited for Usagi to finish with the chunk of food in her mouth.

"How you manage to eat all that and not get sick to your stomach, I will never know. All that dodging you do in battle and running late to must burn off the extra calories. Either way, I do know it never ceases to amaze me, Usagi." Ayame commented.

"Thanks!" Usagi spoke through a mouthful of burger.

"Ugh," Ayame muttered, rolling her eyes. "Don't talk with your mouth full and remember to swallow. Anyway, you're the one that wanted to talk." Ayame reminded her.

Nodding, Usagi took a sip of her drink before she spoke. "Yeah, I know. How did you get yours?"

Looking down at the object in question, Ayame rubbed it a little so one of the jewels would shine brighter.

"When I was trapped underground, I had a dream." Ayame started, leaving out Helios for now. "I was guided to the throne room of the Golden Kingdom before it fell. It was there I met my mother again. She explained the first brooch was something used to ease me into my powers so I could learn to control them properly. Kinda like training wheels on a bike. This one has been in my family for generations." Ayame explained.

"Woah~! That's so cool, Ayame!" Usagi gushed, now able to speak without all the food in her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. Now how did you get the Crystal back?" Ayame asked bringing the conversation back around.

"Queen Serenity appeared in my mind and told me that it answered my desire to protect the others. It's not as strong as before, but I'm glad to have it." Usagi explained.

Ayame shrugged, "I guess that makes sense. It answered your desire to just be a normal girl and erased not only your memory, but the rest of your team and MY BROTHER. Who still doesn't remember either of us I might add." Ayame said, sending Usagi on a guilt trip.

"Sorry, Ayame."

Ayame only sighed. "It's not completely your fault. It's all Beryl's fault really. Anyway, I better get going. See you later." Ayame said her farewell as she left money for her food and walked out of the cafe. As she walked, a flash of red caught her eye. Looking back, what ever it had been was gone. Shrugging yet again, Ayame left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day was as peaceful as the last, sunlight streamed through the window with the orange curtains drawn back to let it through. The sunlight filled room was occupied with its sleeping teen owner and her white cat.

The room itself was painted white with purple carpeting. The majority of the furniture was white as well while many of the surfaces had been filled with assorted stuffed animals ranging from a horse, a fox, a few cats, a giant pink elephant, a giant mouse, a turtle stool, a dog, a rabbit, a teddy bear or two, and a parrot.

On the bed, the headboard was white with hot pink heart in the center. The bed-sheets were also hot pink with white hearts scattered on them. Sleeping contently, was Minako Aino and her partner, Artemis.

It was the average morning for them as Minako began giggling in her sleep. Her dreams revolving around her ex-boyfriend.

"Alan!" She cried happily, unknowingly strangling her partner as he let out a painful scream. The sound causing her to wake up as she released him. Sitting up, she groaned as picked up Artemis by the scruff of his neck while he held her red alarm clock in between his two front paws.

Upon reading it was 8:10, Minako screamed. "Ahh! Why does this always happen to me!"

As she rushed to get ready for school, Artemis sat on her bed as he leaned tiredly against the clock. He was already use to Minako screaming first thing in the morning like another certain blonde he knew.

'Hi there, my name is Artemis. I'm a male cat that can understand and speak the human language.' He thought to himself as he attempted to cover his eyes while Minako changed, though he couldn't help but peek.

"What are you looking at, you pervert!" Minako yelled at him as she tossed her sleep clothes at him, covering his entire form.

Soon, the two were ready and out the door, running down the sidewalk as fast as they could.

'This is my long-time partner, Minako Aino, aka Sailor Venus. On the surface, she seems like a capable person, but in reality, there's room for improvement.' Artemis continued to monologue to himself.

"Shortcut!" Minako yelled as she jumped over a wall.

'She still has many untapped abilities. But I'm afraid she won't discover them until she can get her act together.' Artemis fretted.

Landing like the cat he was, Artmis landed gracefully on his paws. However, the same couldn't quite be said for his partner.

"Look out! Look out! Look out!" Minako warned as she hopped over the wall, held down her skirt so no one else who happened to be in the area would see anything they weren't suppose to, and fell to the ground right over the feline's head. Trapping him underneath her as she panted heavily from all the running she had done previously.

"I think I'll get there right on time!" Minako thought positively.

Artemis said nothing to this as he finally wiggled out from Minako's weight, groaning from both pain and exertion.

"Oh, sorry about that." Minako said politely, though there was an undertone of irritation in her voice. Aggravated her perv of a cat didn't move from the spot she had landed sooner when she had gone through the effort of warning him ahead of time.

"Let me through!" What sounded like a little girl shouted from somewhere around the corner.

"Huh?" Minako asked as her superhero instincts came out in full force as she rushed towards the shout to investigate.

Down the street, standing close to a mail box was a kindergarten girl and two older boys who looked like they were elementary students. The little girl had brown hair styled into low pigtails and held in place by red beaded hair ties. Her seifuku, or uniform, was light blue coat with a sailor styled collar and hat on her head. Under this was a white shirt and red skirt. On her feet were a pair of white socks and dark blue shoes. On her back was a little yellow backpack.

Leaning against the wall beside him in an imitation of some yakuza he had probably seen on tv, the shortest of the two boys laughed at the little girl.

"C'mon, you loser, hand over your badge right now." He ordered with an outstretched hand, waiting for her to hand it over. Yet her hands covered the precious treasure attached to her coat as she shook her head.

"No, I won't. Go away!" She yelled out them.

"Give it! Now! Huh!" The taller of the two buys ordered, apparently having watched the same show as his companion.

"C'mon! C'mon!" The boys egged on, laughing as they leaned in and closed in on the girls personal space.

Skidding around the corner, Minako paused for barely a second before accessing the situation and yelling at the two boys. "You bullies! Leave her alone!"

"Oh no, we're gonna get in trouble!" The younger one yelled out in fear.

"Yeah, hurry!" The taller one yelled as both screamed as they ran. The taller one gaining more ground with his longer legs. Leaving the little girl they had been previously bullying behind as she appeared to be crying.

Walking the the little girl's side, Minako didn't bother to chase after the two boys as she focused on the crying little girl.

"Those brats!" Minako scowled before kneeling down and offer comforting words to the girl. "It's okay, they're gone now."

Crying was soon replaced with giggling as the little girl removed her hands from her face and stuck her tongue out playfully. "Yeah, I know! Thank you for helping me."

"Woah!" Minako exclaimed impressed. "You were just pretending to cry."

"Miss, since you're here, can I ask you to walk with me and take me over to the bus stop?" The little girl asked.

"Sorry, I don't have time, I'm already late for school." Minako told her.

"Nope, take me now." The little girl insited.

"I'm really sorry..." Minako said, trying to remain polite.

It was silent for a moment as neither of them said anything. Then the little girl began to cry again.

"Wah! This lady is bullying me!" The little girl claimed. Basically blackmailing Minako into getting what she wanted and creating a scene if others heard her and would come investigate.

Minako's polite smile didn't falter as she succumbed the the little girl's demands with a nervous chuckle. "Okay, alright." She answered before picking up the girl and carrying the kindergartener under arm like luggage.

"Hold on!" Minako warned her as they ran to the bus stop.

Arriving at the yellow bus that read 'Shiba Kindergarten', Minako was thanked by the bus driver. "Thank you for bringing her, young lady."

"Yeah! Thanks for keeping me company!" The little girl thanked her.

"Sure, don't mention it." Minako told them as she panted, the girl getting on and seated before the bus took off.

"Bye-bye!" The girl waved farewell, from the back window of the bus.

Chuckling, Minako couldn't help but wave back at the girl.

"Kids sure are different these days, huh?" Minako asked her companion.

"Minako, I don't think you can make it on time. Want to try anyway?" Artemis asked.

Minako's giggling was forced, yet she kept her cheerful facade as she answered him. "Yeah, sounds good. Hurry!" She yelled at the end as she panted and ran, running herself ragged.

As she ran, Minako opened her eyes to look ahead, only to let out a surprised sound. "Huh?"

Up ahead, also running late was none other than the other blonde on her team, Usagi Tsukino.

"Usagi!" Minako called out as she put in an extra burst of energy to catch up and talk to her leader.

"Oh hey, Minako!" Usagi greeted her, looking over her shoulder to look at her before the ribbon wearing girl ran along side her. "I guess you overslept too, huh?" Usagi asked as she giggled.

"I did! It's just like they say, "In spring no sheep's a sheep that mows no lawn."" Minako misquoted.

"Uh, you mean, "In spring one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn."" Artemis corrected her.

Abashed, Minako managed a small giggle of embarrassment. "I guess you could say it that way too. Anyway, my school's this way!" Minako said, gesturing towards a different road to the right.

"Okay, bye!" Usagi told her, going straight to her school while Minako turned.

At Shiba Kōen, Minako's school, the final bell for classes ran at 8:55 precisely. Leaving Minako locked out as she stood in front of the now locked front gates.

"Aw man!" Minako groaned as she held the bars.

"Yeah, and this is one of her better days too. Oh, the things she puts me through." Artemis monologue to himself as he sighed in disappointment.

Up on the second floor of the school, Nanami was sitting beside the window with Kazuko and Hiromi sitting to her right. Looking out the window, she noticed her fellow Sailor Guardian stuck outside.

Chucking slightly, Nanami raised her hand to get the teacher's attention.

"Uh, teacher? Minako's stuck outside the gates again." Nanami gestured to the window. The action practically a part of her daily routine now. "Shouldn't someone let her in?"

The teacher sighed and with a tired nod went to intercom someone to let the tardy student in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

At Juban Middle School, someone else was tardy and facing the consequences.

Standing out in the hall for the umpteenth time, Usagi was alone as she held a bucket in her hands and wore a sign around her neck reading, 'I'm always late for school!'

"It really sucks having to stand here the whole time until our recess." Usagi grumbled before a thought struck her. "Hey, I wonder if Minako made it to school on time?"

Coming down the hall, Seijuro spoke to his crush. "Usagi."

"Huh?" Usagi asked as she turned to look at him.

"I'm afraid that the sadness in your eyes only makes you more beautiful." Seijuro complemented her.

"Oh, Seijuro." Usagi blushed.

"Now, I want us to feel the depth of our love!" He exclaimed with his eyes closed, throwing open his arms. "Let me hold you tight. Come here, dear Usagi." Seijuro implored her.

Usagi did none of these things as she watched Natsumi stand in front of her brother while Ayame stood beside her. Both girls had returned from the restroom and wore a displeased look. The hallway silent as Seijuro waited for Usagi to jump into his arms and Natsumi waited for her brother to open his eyes and realize what was happening. Ayame was irritated Seijuro wouldn't leave Usagi alone while the other wondered why Usagi didn't point blank tell the guy to get lost and she wasn't interested.

Growing bored, she broke the silence. "Mind telling me what the heck you're trying to do, brother?"

Nodding, Ayame added her two bits. "What she said. Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Uh, stretching exercises." Seijuro quickly explained as he moved his arms, ignoring Ayame's question while he counted and began walking down the hall as he continued with the stretches.

"You should save that for gym." Ayame called out to him.

As they watched him go, Natsumi's eyes meet Usagi's briefly before huffing in irritation, "Hmph!"

Usagi said nothing as she let out a bout of nervous laughter. 'The strangest brother and sister ever!'

Ayame only signed as she went back to the classroom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later during their break the Ginga siblings were up on the roof, Seijuro was quick to try and distract Natsumi from what happened earlier. "Let's talk about our next plan to gather energy..."

"Nice try, don't change the subject! What on earth were you thinking? You've got to stop flirting with that girl, understand?" Natsumi she ordered.

Seijuro sighed as he turned to his partner in crime. "I think it's you who doesn't understand. It's all part of my plan." He explained.

"And just what plan is that, hmm?" Natsumi asked, not believing him for a moment before changing the subject to more important matters. "Anyway, you'll be interested to know that this time we're going to go after a much younger, fresher source of energy."

"Fresher energy? Great." Seijuro said, chuckling as he thought of the wonderful energy and how sweet it would be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day with sunset approaching Minako and Nanami were walking together.

"Thanks for getting the teachers to let me in this morning." Minako thanked the bespectacled girl.

"Oh, don't mention it. I don't mind helping you out. You'd do the same for me." Nanami replied.

"How come you're not walking with Kazuko or Hiromi today?" Minako asked.

"Do you dislike my company?" Nanami asked.

"No! No. Just curious is all."

"I don't know. Just felt like it, I guess. I'm pretty much caught up at the studio and the girls still had work to do. Besides, it's been awhile."

"That's right." Minako considered it. "You would often walk with me and ask me to hang out with you and the others after school before I remembered being a Sailor Guardian. Did you do that so you could eventually introduce me to the others again?" Minako asked.

"That was part of it." Nanami admitted. "I also wanted to get you know you better. We met as Guardians, but we never really got to spend time with you outside of that. I wanted to know more about the girl underneath. Besides Hikaru, maybe Amano, and a few of the members of the volleyball team, I noticed you don't talk to a lot of people in school on a regular basis. You can never have too many friends in my opinion." Nanami informed her.

Minako was silent for a moment before smiling. "Thanks Nanami!"

"How many times must I repeat myself? Don't mention it. I do what I want! I and like what I do!" Nanami cheered.

Up ahead, there was a little playground. In one of the sand pits, the little girl from that morning had been pushed to the ground.

"Ahh!" She cried, falling on her bum. She wore a different outfit, her hat and coat gone with a pink jacket instead along with a blue skirt.

"Is too!" She yelled at her tormentors.

"Is not!" A boy argued back, beside him was two other boys, the three of them ganging up on the little girl.

"If she's real, then where does she live?" The boy on the girl's right asked.

"I don't know, but she does exist! There really is a Sailor Moon!" The girl insisted, standing up again.

"You've never even seen her!" The boy on the left pointed out.

"Yeah, he's right!" The leader agreed.

Hearing the commotion, Minako, Nanami, and Artemis turned to look into the play ground.

"It's that girl from this morning!" Minako realized, recognizing the girl.

Nanami cocked her head as she look at the little girl and then Minako. "The one who you said made you late?"

"And she's getting bullied again, too." Artemis noted.

"Come on! Let's help her!" Minako told them as she headed over.

Nanami allowed a sadistic grin crawl up her face as she cracked her knuckles. "Time to kick some bully butt!" She declared with a chuckle worthy of a villain. Making her companions give her worried looks before rushing to the little girl's aid.

"Stop that!" Minako ordered as she and Nanami quickly walked over.

"Didn't anyone teach you how to be nice?" Nanami asked.

"Oh hi again, Miss." The little girl greeted Minako upon recognizing the blonde.

"Hey! This is for kids only! Stay out of it, old maid!" The leader told her of the three boys told her.

""Old maid"?" Minako questioned, more than a little peeved in how the boy addressed her.

"Yeah, don't you have better things to do, like find a boyfriend for yourself, old maid?" The boy on the right asked, his hair cut in a bowl cut.

"Or maybe not with that face, huh?!" The third asked as the three of them laughed.

Nanami scoffed at the boy before smirking. 'Two could play at the name calling game.' Nanami thought before speaking.

"If we're old maids, then you must be little babies." She joked.

The boys laughter swiftly ended as they glared at Nanami.

"We're not babies!" The boy yelled back.

"Sure you are." Nanami insisted as nodded knowingly. "Since we are, as you put it, 'old maids' we should know many things you three don't. Ganging up on a girl is something only babies would do and the reason we don't have boyfriends because they have cooties."

The boys silently agreed that girls had cooties, but they couldn't get over the fact Nanami had called them babies.

"We're not babies, you old maid!" The boys insisted.

"Then prove it and stop ganging up on others." Nanami told them, her face serious as her joking face disappeared.

The boys were shocked at how quickly Nanami's expression changed before they thought about this new information. They didn't want to listen to Nanami, but they also didn't want to be babies either. Eventually, the later won.

"Fine! We'll leave her alone. But not because you told us! We're definitely not babies! Old maid!" The leader huffed.

"I see. So sorry to have mistaken you for babies. What mature young men you are." Nanami told them, her cheerful face returning.

However, a certain blonde was getting tired of being called old maid so many times.

"Who are you calling old?!" Minako growled at them, fire surrounding her form to show her aggravation.

"I suggest you run now." Nanami told them in a sing-song tone, her face plastered with mischievous grin, promising doom for the three boys if they didn't scram.

"Look out! The old maid's gonna blow!" The boys screamed as they high tailed it out of the playground.

"Seriously, what is up with kids these days?" Minako huffed as she watched them go.

In her arms, Artemis couldn't help but consider her words and how they made her sound. 'Now she really is starting to talk like an old maid...'

"Thanks again, Miss." The little girl thanked Minako before addressing Nanami. "Thank you as well."

"No problem." Nanami replied.

"What were you arguing about with them? Um..." Minako asked before she realized she didn't know the little girl's name.

"My name's Mie. I'm in the Tulip class at Shiba Kindergarten." Mie introduced herself.

"Hi, my name's Minako. And this is Artemis." Introduced herself and her partner.

"Meow." Artemis greeted.

Nananmi looked over at the male cat in surprise, her eyes furrowing as she tried to recall at time she had ever heard him meow before, surprised to draw a blank. Shaking her head, she chuckled to herself as she realized that she was more surprised to hear a cat actually meow than speak.

'Man, is this what my life has been reduced to? I seriously need a 'normal day' to unwind and get a reality check.' Nanami thought.

"Very nice to meet you, Artemis!" Mie greeted him with a giggle.

"I'm Nanami." She finally introduced herself.

Finally noticing the pin of Sailor Moon in her signature pose on Mie's jacket, Minako chuckled at the sight before commenting on it.

"Do you like Sailor Moon, Mie?"

"Uh-huh!" Mie nodded.

"Then you must like Sailor Venus also, right?" Minako asked.

"Never heard of her." Mie answered honestly and brutally, much to Minako's and Artemis's disappointment.

The two of them sighing as their head hung down.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Minako replied glumly.

'Same old story.' Artemis thought.

"You mean you didn't see the Sailor V Movie?" Nanami pouted, upset the little girl didn't know about her hard work.

"You probably never heard of Sailor Gaea or Sailor Notus either." Nanami assumed with a resigned sigh.

Mie brightened at the sound of Nanami's leader. "Sailor Gaea, yes. Sailor Notus, no."

Nanami sighed again. 'Seriously? Sailor Venus had been on the scene longer than us and this little girl doesn't know her. Yet she knows Sailor Gaea?! Has she even had any public appearances?' Nanami wondered, wondering why fate was so cruel. She was so going to make an anime about the Sailor Guardians of Earth when she got the chance.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Soon the four of them, if you included Artemis, sat down on one of the nearby benches and spoke for a little while. Mie sat in the middle while Minako sat on her right and Nanami sat on her left.

"Can I ask you something, Minako?" Mie asked tentatively.

"Sure, go ahead." Minako replied.

"There is a Sailor Moon, right?" Mie questioned.

Minako crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand as her elbow sat on her knee. "Hmm...That's kind of a hard question to answer."

"So she doesn't exist, after all." Mie assumed, disappointedly.

"She never said that." Nanami pointed out.

"Correct, Nanami. Quite the opposite, in fact. You believe she's real, don't you?" Minako asked Mie.

"Uh-huh!" Mie nodded happily.

"Then she does exist. Believing is the most important thing you can do." Minako informed her.

"Then I will!" Mie promised before she had another question. "Minako, have you ever seen Sailor Moon?" Then turning to Nanami she asked her one. "Have you ever seen Sailor Gaea?"

"I've not only seen her, I know her very well." Minako informed the girl.

"Have I seen her? I've seen her and her team. I even have her autograph, multiple pictures drawn by yours truly and have gotten to know her personally."

'Uh-oh!' Artemis thought worriedly.

"Wow! Awesome! Can you come to show-and-tell at my kindergarten tomorrow and tell all the boys that? Otherwise, no one will believe me." Mie told them.

"Sure, I'll be there." Minako promised.

"Count me in." Nanami added. "I'm going to tell them about the other Sailor Guardians too!"

'Say what!' Artemis thought, his expressions growing ever more fearful.

"You mean it?" Mie asked.

"I'll teach those big-mouthed kids to believe in something and make them be innocent again!" Minako declared.

"Yeah! If they don't start believing now, they're going to regret it when they grow up and yearn for their lost innocence." Mie agreed.

"Huh?" The two teens and cat asked.

"Right?!" Mie asked.

"Is it me, or are these kids very precocious?" Minako before breaking into a smile. 'But they're kind of cute too.'

"Mie! Time to go home! Where are you, you little munchkin?" A male voice called out for Mie.

Upon hearing it, Mie's face light up as she hopped off the bench and turned to the direction the voice came from.

"Big brother! Over here!" Mie called back.

Whipping around the corner, Minako, Nanami, and Artemis were surprised to see a teenager enter the playground on a skateboard.

His hair was a vibrant red, swaying in the wind as he pushed himself closer to them on the board. His amber eyes looked almost golden in the fading light as the sun went down. It almost looked as if his eyes were made from the gem tiger's eye. His smile and eyes expressed a cheerful and openheartedness that seemed to draw people in.

Mie's big brother had a certain style about him as well. His uniform having many personalized additions to make his unique. His uniform consisted of a white long sleeved button up shirt that had been rolled up and cuffed to his elbows, showing two golden buttons. The buttons down his shirt were white and mostly hidden underneath a stripped red tie he kept loose around his neck. Over his shirt was a black open vest with gold embroidery along the edges.

The shirt was tucked into a pair of red pants that reached halfway down the lower part of his leg. Around his waist was three belts, one for its designed purpose and the other two thinner ones for decoration as they overlapped the other. Attached to it was a golden chain. On his right wrist was three gold bangles. Two of which lacked any further decoration, but sometimes simple was best than too much. The third had a red gem shaped into a four sided diamond.

His shoes were a style of tall pull-on red and brown engineer boots. They were similar to the style of horse riding boots with the supportive arch and sole of a work boot. However, the buckled ankle strap distinguished the style from other pull-on boots. The strap, along with the soles, were brown while most of it was like the rest of his clothing.

Hopping off the skateboard, he hit the bottom, making it slightly jump into the air before catching it and placing the board under his arm as he walked towards them. Nanami caught a glimpse of the image underneath was a horse made of flames.

"Big brother!" Mie cheered as she ran up and hugged her brother. Nanami found it adorable and glanced at Minako to see the blondes love struck expression with blush on her cheek.

Nanami good humoredly rolled her eyes before nudging the girl to snap her out of it.

It was good timing too, because the boy's attention would soon be on them.

"Sorry for the wait. I hope you didn't have any trouble did you?" The elder brother asked.

"Some boys were being mean, but these two girls helped me!" Mie explained as the siblings turned to them.

The elder brother's eyes lighting up as he walked over to them as they stood up and gave a little bow.

"Hello." They greeted him.

Chuckling, the brother smiled at them "Please, you don't have to stand on my account. Thank you for helping out my sister. I'm Souma Sayama. You can call me Souma. The sou meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and ma meaning "real, genuine"."

"I'm Nanami. Nice to meet you."

"I-I'm Minako. And this little guy is Artemis." Minako nervously introduced herself while Artemis meowed in greeting again.

"Nice to meet you Nanami, Artemis, Minako." He addressed them each. "May I?" He asked, gesturing towards Artemis. Giving him a nod, Minako barely did anything else.

Moving his free hand, Souma gently petted the cat, who rather liked the attention. Minako was almost jealous.

Looking back at Minako, he smiled at her. "You seem to take good care of Artemis here. His fur is soft and silky. It's almost as beautiful as yours." Souma praised, making Minako blush. "It's like the pale dawn over the endless sea that is your eyes."

'Man, she's got it bad.' Nanami thought as she watched Minako's blush grow darker.

"Thanks again for helping my sister. I hope we meet again. Bye for now!" Souma said as he took his little sister's hand and the two of them walked out of the playground with a wave before disappearing, Mie telling Souma about her day as he listened attentively.

"Wow!" Minako gushed. "He's so dreamy!"

"Oh, boy. Here we go again." Artemis groaned.

Nanami could only giggle at them. She had a feeling this wasn't the last time they would see Souma Sayama. This was only the beginning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the lair of the two aliens and the Maki Tree, the duo gazed upon the weakening tree. The energy Leshy had provided had gone a long way, but it just wasn't enough to fully restore the tree.

"The situation's bad. Our energy's running low." Ail assessed, giving the tree another look over before turning to An who sat on one of the nearby roots. "So what source are we going to target this time?"

"The fresh, juicy energy of children." An explained as images of children appeared in the black void of their room. The children running, swinging, and sliding as they had fun. "So ripe with innocence and enthusiasm."

"Interesting..." Ail murmured as he watched another image appear of children climbing a jungle gym and climbing into a bus before chuckling.

"Time to choose. Pick a card for the job." Ali said as he held out six cards.

"All right." An answered as she picked the third one from her right. The card flying high into the air as it flashed and revealed the image. The background was a blue sky with a few clouds and a pink sun. The monster was like an angel of sorts. It had long light blue boots reaching up to its nees, a matching short toga that reached down to its thighs. A gold belt held it as the waist and the top had shoulder pads of some sort. Around its wrist were golden arm cuffs. Its hair was orange and spiked up and of course it had the wings on its back.

Bringing out his flute, Ali began to play, awakening the Cardian as it flashed and emitted light out in waves.

"Come forth... Gigaros!" Ail ordered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Far away from their hideout, a school bus filled with kindergarten students was going through a long tunneled overpass.

These children were from the Kari Kindergarten. For them, it was another normal day on the bus as they all sang the song 'Wheels on the Bus'.

Unknown to them, despite the low ceiling, something managed to glide over the roof of the vehicle. Reaching the front, it merely placed a hand over it before a flash of light burst out and blasted the metal separating it from the inside apart.

The children inside screaming in fright and the bus driver brought the bus to a screeching halt.

Scared, the children could only whimper and quiver in fear as red glowing eyes stared at them through the dust from the blast.

"Gigaros!" The monster shouted as the kid screamed in fear. Some clinging to the others and they cried.

"Gigaros!" Shouting its name once again, the monster opened its wings. Glowing purple, they began to drain the children.

In the lair, the energy was directly few to the tree as it glowed with the brilliant energy.

"This is perfect. What energy! Amazing..." Ail muttered in awe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't long until the Sailor Guardians caught wind of the new monster. With the Four Kings of Heaven's machine, they were quickly alerted of its existence. However, the monster was smart. While it kept going after children, it knew better than to attack the same place twice.

After attacking at one over pass the next would be in a different area and kindergarten. Looking at the morning paper, with the exception of Minako, Nanami, and Artemis, both Sailor Guardian teams had gathered together at the Hikawa Shrine.

"Oh no! They've struck again!" Luna bemoaned.

"This is just awful, targeting little children like that." Rei growled.

"I'll say! It's absolutely unforgivable!" Makoto agreed.

"Stealing energy from children makes me sick!" Ayame yelled.

"The poor kids. They must have been so scared..." Jing trialed off as she looked at the paper, tears gathering in her eyes.

"First it was random women, then it was us at the studio, then random people, random people in the arcade, random people and us in the park, and now children of all things." Taura seethed in disgust.

"'Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.' Psalm chapter one-hundred and seven, verse three." Hiroko recited before glaring down at the table on anger. "A child is an innocent gift and must be treasured! To attack a child is disgusting. Vile! God may forgive them, but I certainly can not!"

Whipping out her minicomputer, Ami was quick to take in all the locations of the previous attacks and kindergartens involved and calculate the chances of the next attack. "Luna, I've analyzed which kindergarten they're likely to strike next."

"So which one do you think it is?" Luna asked.

"Don't keep us in suspense!" Jing yelled.

"Um, there's a sixty-seven percent probability that it will be the students of Shiba Kindergarten." Ami informed them,

Hearing the name of the kindergarten, Ayame jumped in shock of the coincidence. "That's where Nanami is! She needs to know!"

"Alright. Our plan is to send one of you with Ayame into the school undercover." Luna informed them.

"Do you think that will be enough?" Taura asked.

"With three members there, it should be enough to take out the monster." Hiroko spoke. "The rest of us can go to the other school bus routes just in case the Cardian chooses to attack one of the others.

"But who should go with Ayame?" Jadeite asked.

The seriousness of the situation was broken when the group turned to look at the laughing Usagi sitting on Rei's bed. The blonde reading manga and not even paying attention to the important matter they were discussing.

Ayame, Hiroko, Jing, Taura, and Jadeite were scowling at her. Their thoughts filled with anger.

'She's goofing off at a time like this!?' They thought.

Ayame gritted her teeth in anger. Bitter resentment reeking its ugly head as Ayame wondered how Usagi was a princess like herself. The girl never took her responsibilities seriously! The way she acted when they had gone to face the Dark Kingdom was a disgrace. If it wasn't for her team, Usagi's would have died! Children were in danger and here she was reading a manga!

"Oh it hurts!" Usagi spoke before bursting out laughing again. "Hey guys, you got to check this out! It's hilarious!" Usagi told them as she turned the book around for them to look.

Ayame and her team didn't bother to remove their scowls, knowing it would be a futile effort. The others seemed to be resigned that this was how Usagi acted and nothing they could do would change it.

"Oh?" Usagi asked when she finally noticed the atmosphere in the room and the looks everyone was giving her.

"I offer up Usagi as tribute." Jing said coldly.

"Seconded." Ayame spoke.

"Third" Taura added.

"Motioned carried." Hiroko ended.

"Usagi, good luck today." Rei told the blonde.

"We're counting on you, understand?" Makoto added.

"Uhh, no?" Usagi answered.

"You have to." Jing bit out.

"Keep up with the program." Taura growled.

"Just make us proud, okay?" Ami asked.

"Where are the other locations so we can go ahead and move in?" Hiroko asked as she and Ami looked at the computer.

"What are you talking about?!" Usagi asked.

"Children are in danger, you idiot!" Ayame stood and marched over to the girl, grabbed to book out of her hands, put it down and grabbed Usagi. Pulling her up with a hard jerk. "Now come on!" She yelled as they hurried out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some distance from the Hikawa Shrine, Minako, Nanami, and Artemis were at the Shiba Kindergarten.

"So in conclusion, Sailor Moon as well as Sailor Venus really do exist." Minako said, finishing her speech about all the various things the Sailor Guardians had done, various battles they had fought and cases they had helped solved.

"Along, with Sailor Gaea and the Four Winds of Earth. Especially Sailor Notus!" Nanami added showing the kids her drawings of the superheroes.

In between them, Mie was holding Artemis for Minako.

"Whatever, I won't believe it till I see them with my own eyes." The leader of the three bullies from yesterday rudely replied.

He and his two buddies sitting beside him as the rest of the Tulip class was sitting outside while they had show and tell.

"Yeah, I'm with him. Yeah." The lackeys along with the rest of the class voiced their agreements.

"But what's most important is believing that they exist." Mie insisted.

"If you believe hard enough, then you'll meet them!" Minako told them.

"You should try to be more realistic and rational." The leader told her.

"The reason you've never met them is because you have been lucky enough to have never needed to be protected by them. The reason you don't know where they live is because they don't want the bad guys to find out. I'm sure one day you might meet them." Nanami informed them.

"Be honest, are you experiencing some hard times?" The bowl cut haired kid asked, ignoring Nanami's explanations.

"Why do you ask?" Minako asked, genuinely curious why that had anything to do with the current conversation.

"I suspect you're in denial." Bowl cut kid answered.

Minako's chin dropped as she gasped at the accusation, Nanami noticing Artemis doing the same.

"Adults are really lucky. They get to project all their troubles and confusion on us kids then they run off to play in their own imaginary world." The leader complained.

Nanami honestly didn't know what to make of all this. 'Was I ever like this as a child?'

Minako's anger grew as she fought to keep a pleasant smile on her face, her mind toiling with the words she wanted to say to them. 'Listen you brats. I'm normally a nice girl, but if you don't stop this, I'm gonna get really angry.' Soon, she let the thought bubble pop, knowing it wouldn't do any good. 'It's a bummer that I can't just be real with them. That's what Usagi would do.'

'She should never have gotten involved in this.' Artemis groaned.

"All right everybody, it's time to go home." One of the teachers came out of the school building as the students stood up.

"What? That's no fun!" Mie complained.

"You mustn't give the nice young ladies a hard time. One more thing, I won't be able to ride the bus with you today." The teacher announced.

"Aww!" All the students complained.

"Teacher, if it's okay with you, I'd be happy to keep them company on the bus today." Minako offered. 'Maybe I can see Souma again.'

"Same here. We don't have anything else to do today." Nanami nodded in agreement.

"Oh! Well um..." The teacher said, surprised by the offer.

"Yay! We'll ride together! This is so great!" Mie cheered.

"Okay fine, Lady, if you insist. Since Teacher can't come, you'll have to do." The leader agreed arrogantly.

Minako and the Teacher sweat dropped at the boy's attitude.

"What about me? Am I chopped liver over here?" Nanami asked playfully.

"You're okay." He answered.

After that was settled, the kids lead by their teacher headed towards and loaded the bus.

Standing outside the gate, Luna, Ayame, and Usagi were preparing to put their plan into motion. Before arriving there, Ayame had contacted Naru. Since they were going into battle, Ayame wanted to fight along side her comrades, but with the enemies superior strength, stronger weapons were needed for the others as well. Ayame already had her sword, but the others had yet to receive them. Fortunately, Nanami's new lance was finished and after a quick detour they had gotten it before arriving at the kindergarten.

"That's the bus, Usagi." Luna informed the blonde.

"Hmm, yeah looks like it. But why am I doing this assignment on my own?" Usagi asked.

"I'm here, REMEMBER!?" Ayame asked aggravated. "Don't forget Nanami is here as well."

"I-I mean, why aren't the others here?" Usagi corrected.

"You're the only one who can use the Transformation Pen!" Luna reminded her.

Usagi sighed before placing her hands on her hips. "Maybe, but they didn't have to be mean and give me the cold shoulder!"

"Maybe if you were listening to what was going on instead of reading some stupid manga, they wouldn't have!" Ayame gritted out from between her teeth.

"Just hurry!" Luna ordered.

"Okay already! But what should I do if a monster attacks the school bus?!" Usagi asked, whining.

"Usagi!" Luna scolded.

"Fine, fine. Moon Power! Turn me into a gentle yet glamorous and fashionable kindergarten teacher!" Usagi ordered before transforming with the pen's power. Her school uniform turning into a pair of blue sneakers, blue jeans, and a light pink sweater. Her long hair cut short at her shoulders.

Ayame huffed at the orders Usagi had used for her disguise before rubbing her hair clip. "Gaea Power! Transform me into a student teacher." Once the words left her mouth, a myriad of colors washed over her as her school uniform changed into a pair of white shoes, khaki pants, and a black and white striped shirt.

Meanwhile, the bus had finished loading and the kids were waving their teacher farewell for the day.

"Bye Teach! Bye!"

"Take good care of them!" The teacher told Minako and Nanami.

As the bus made it's way to the gate, Usagi stopped it.

"Wait for me! Hi, sorry I'm late. I'm supposed to join you. I'm the new substitute teacher!" Usagi introduced herself.

"Usagi? Is that you?" Minako asked, somehow able to see through the disguise.

"Um, Minako?" Usagi asked back, surprised to see her there.

"And I'm a new student teacher. I'm still getting the hang of things so we both lost track of the time. Hi Nanami. Remember me? We made origami together with Jing at Studio Dive that time I was having boy trouble?" Ayame greeted her, making Nanami remember the night when Ayame had revealed her true self to Nephrite and Usagi's team.

Realizing it was Ayame, Nanami grinned and nodded to her leader. "Of course, Miss Iris. I didn't expect to see you here though." Nanami replied, referring to Ayame's alias when she disguised herself as a journalist during the incident with Oniwabandana.

"Yeah, that's life for you. Meeting old and new faces. Sometimes life can throw curveballs at you. Maybe even a monster at the end of a tunnel." Ayame joked.

Nanami's face paled as she realized what Ayame was trying to get across. A Cardian was going to attack the bus. Nodding, the two 'teachers' quickly got on the bus.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Ami's prediction was correct as Ali sent out their monster once again.

"Gigaros! Go and gather more fresh energy for us."

With a smile, Gigaros's eyes flashes as it set off to complete the mission before it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back on the bus, Minako and Usagi quickly spoke before while Ayame and Nanami set up the microphone they would use to guide the children in a song or two while they enjoyed the ride.

"What a relief." Usagi sighed. "Thank goodness you're here with me, Minako."

"What are we? Extras? Chopped liver?" Nanami asked in a huff, annoyed Usagi was over looking her and Ayame.

"Sorry, Nanami." Usagi apologized.

"So what's up?" Minako asked, still confused about what was really going on.

"Is something happening?" Artemis asked.

"Probably. We're not totally sure just yet." Usagi informed them.

"Of course something is happening, dummies!" Nanami growled, making both blondes turn to her. "The enemy has been attacking kindergarten students."

"This is basically a stakeout. The others are covering other possible targets. We're here in case the bus is attacked. If it appears, we transform at the earliest convenience and take out the monster." Ayame explained.

"Oh." The girls replied dumbly.

After that, Minako and Usagi lead the children into song. The song in question the children were singing was Moonlight Densetsu. Singing along the children were weaving their forms in time to the music. Mie was having a grand old time as she giggled and continued to sing.

Nanami and Ayame sat in the back of the bus as a precaution. No matter where the monster attacked, front or back, one group could distract the monster while the others transformed. At least that was the basic plan.

'Could this get any weirder?' Artemis wondered, trying to keep a smile on his face while listening to everyone sing.

Soon, the bus entered the tunnel, and Ayame sat up straighter in her seat. If the monster was going to attack the bus, it would be somewhere down in this tunnel.

"One more time!" Usagi cheered.

To which Ayame rolled her eyes. They had sung that song three times already.

"What is that?!" The bus driver shouted, interrupting the sing-along, as he continued to stare straight ahead at something standing in the middle of the road.

"Huh?" Usagi asked as she turned around to look herself.

From the distance it was hard to say what exactly it was before them, when the light shined on its yellow skin, the latest Cardain proceeded to smash straight through the windshield.

Usagi and Minako screaming as the monster came at them along with seemingly endless shards of glass. The bus driver swerved before coming to a halt.

Grabbing a hold of the driver, the monster was practically chocking him. The man struggling to breathe as he was drained of energy. With him out of the way, the Cardian turned to them and the children.

"Gigaros."

Backing away, the children and the others all gathered towards the back. Usagi stood at the ready to charge at the monster while Minako wrapped her arms protectively around Mie.

"We expected you, Monster!" Usagi yelled at it.

"What's going on? I'm scared." Mie asked as she looked up to Minako for answers.

"It'll be all right. She always comes to the rescue when you need her most." Minako assured the younger girl.

"Who does?" Mie asked.

"The person you believe in, Mie..." Minako answered, leaving the child to fill in the blanks as to who it was.

"Sailor Moon!" Mie beamed.

"That's right! Sailor Moon is on her way! And she'll save all of us!" Usagi informed her.

Chuckling, Gigaros stepped forward.

"Let's do this, Artemis!" Usagi yelled as she and the cat prepared to charge at the monster.

"Gigaros!"

With the children's attention on the monster, and the monster focused on Usagi, Ayame took the opportunity to open one of the windows and jumped out.

"Keep an eye on the kids and join me when you can." Ayame told Nanami before handing her the new lance. Nodding, Nanami stood in front of the window to make sure no one saw Ayame leaving.

"Ahh!" Artemis and Usagi shouted, only to be backhanded and thrown out of the bus with grunts.

"Usagi!" Minako shouted in worry.

Landing on her face, Usagi grunted in pain before picking herself off the ground. "It never gets easier being a superhero."

"No one ever said it would be." Came Ayame's calm reply as she waited for Usagi.

"Alrighty, then... Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!" Usagi shouted before she transformed.

"Gaea Fedual Power! Make Up!" Ayame shouted, transforming herself as well.

"Huh!" Gigaros grunted as it tossed Artemis at Minako's feet, the feline having tried to fight the monster to give the girls time to transform.

"Ahh!" He yelled as he landed with a thud.

"Artemis!" Minako called out to him as she gently petted him before glaring at the monster.

"Gigaros." It spoke as the children behind Minako screamed in fear as they coward behind the seats. Before it could do anything a shout from outside the bus stopped it in their tracks.

"Stop right there, you monster! Those children represent our dreams for the future. Plus, we depend on them to take care of us after our retirement! Attacking them is unforgivable!" Sailor Moon declared.

"What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails. That's what little boys are made of. What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of. Full of wonder and innocence, they may drive us crazy at times, but we love them anyway. They are all Mother Earth's children and as her chosen champion, I can not allow you to harm them!" Sailor Gaea yelled.

"In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon declared.

"On behalf of Mother Earth, I shall brighten the darkness and vanquish the evil within!" Sailor Gaea shouted.

"Sailor Moon! Sailor Gaea!" Mie cheered at the sight of her heroes.

"Omigosh! They do exist!" The leader of the bullies exclaimed in shock and excitement.

"Sorry I was late!" Sailor Moon apologized, showing them a peace sign before turning to more important matters at hand.

Exiting the bus, Gigaros flew high into the air above the heroes.

"All right, Big Wings, let's go!" Sailor Moon yelled at it.

"Gigaros!" It shouted as it sent whirlwind after whirlwind after the two Sailor Guardians.

Sailor Moon screaming as she managed to 'dodge' in her own unique way.

Standing in the bus, the leader of the bullies watched with concern before turning to Mie. "You know in person, Sailor Moon doesn't look that strong. Do you think she's gonna be okay?"

"Dunno..." Mie admitted quietly, wondering the same thing.

While all the children gathered around the windows to watch the fight, Minako and Nanami saw their opportunity to slip away and jump out of the bus window.

"I have to go help Sailor Moon." Minako said, her eye blazing with determination.

"Ditto." Nanami nodded before pulling her new lance to her chest and hugging it. "And I can't wait to try out my new lance on that overgrown turkey."

As for Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea, the blonde was having a hard time per usual. The Guardian landing beside the bus as her back collided with it and grunting in pain. Glaring at the monster, Sailor Moon and Sailor Gaea watched as Gigaros finally landed.

"Gigaros!" It muttered as it raised it's hand, nails sharpening in preparation to attack.

"Ahh!" Sailor Moon jumped at the sight.

Sailor Gaea stood before the Guardian of the moon and brought out her sword to deflect the attack.

"Sailor Moon! Sailor Gaea!" The children cried in warning.

Before the monster could hit the sword, two attacks drove the monster back.

"Cresent Beam!"

"Rage Fireworks!"

"Gigaros!" It cried as Sailor Venus's attack landed a direct hit in the chest and Sailor Notus burned parts of its wings.

Gasping, Sailor Moon looked up at the roof of the bus in joy. "Sailor Venus!"

"Sailor Notus!" Sailor Gaea beamed.

"Those must be the ones Minako and Nanami were talking about!" Mie said as she craned her head to see the two heroes, poking it out the window.

"She's so cool!" The leader exclaimed.

Jumping down, Sailor Venus greeted her leader. "Hey, are you okay?"

"You bet I am!" Sailor Moon beamed as she stood.

"Ready to beat this monster, Sailor Notus?" Sailor Gaea asked as she twirled her sword in the air.

"Of course." Sailor Notus answered as she pulled out her lance, though it was more of a naginata than a lance. The naginata was made entirely of metal. The long pole having a curved edged blade on the end. Normally, the blade of a naginata was single-edged, this one had the sharped edge flow over the tip of blade to the back before stopping a little before the middle of the blade. On the flat sides was designs inscribed that began as red and became golden as it came towards the base of the blade and the handguard began.

The hand guard was round as it encompassed the parts connecting the blade with the rest of the pole, decorated with red. Under this was little grooves. Tied around this part with red string was a mask that looked like a mouse. Underneath this was a type of handle to help keep a better grip on the weapon. It reminded Sailor Notus of scales but with three silver layers before moving onto the next scale as they overlapped. The main part of the scale being red. The rest of the pole came in three sections before reaching the base. The middle being simple, smooth metal while the top and bottom matched. Red rectangles arranged in rings around it. The base was similar to the handguard, but was flat at the end so that Sailor Notus could stand it straight up.

All in all, it was beautifully crafted.

"Gigaros!" It growled as it stood up, besides the scorched feathers, the monster didn't even look like it had been hit by any attacks.

"I don't believe it! My Cresent Beam didn't even scratch her!" Sailor Venus exclaimed.

"Gigaros!" The cardian yelled as it threw another whirlwind at the four girls.

Nearly getting swept up into the wind, Sailor Venus gasped as she managed to escape the attack, moving to counter attack. "Cresent Beam!"

Unfortunately, the attack was deflected by the monster's cuff on its arm, not even leaving a scratch on it.

"Gigaros!" It yelled as it created yet another cyclone. Capturing Sailor Venus as she screamed, being tossed in the wind like a rag doll.

"Sailor Venus!" The children called out.

Sailor Venus wasn't the only one as Sailor Moon's screams filled the air, her from being tossed around the same as Venus. As for Sailor Gaea and Notus, they managed to hold their ground as they embedded their weapons into the ground, acting as an anchor and keeping them from getting blown away. Unfortunately, leaving them unable to attack back.

The wind then died down as the girls whimpered in pain and tried to get back up. Sailor Gaea and Notus were sore from fighting against the wind.

"Sailor Moon! Sailor Gaea! Sailor Venus! Sailor Notus! You can do it!" The children shouted their encouragement.

'There has to be a way to defeat her. But how?' Sailor Venus wondered desperately.

'I barely managed to singe its feathers. If we could get it to stand still long enough for Sailor Gaea to hit it, that might be enough. Why is this happening?' Sailor Notus thought angrily to herself, looking down at her new weapon. 'What good is this thing if I don't use it. I want to be strong enough to help protect Sailor Gaea! I can't fail her again!'

"Gigaros!" It growled as its nails grew long and sharp once again. Charging at them, Sailor Venus faced Gigaros head on, not moving an inch as it came closer.

"Sailor Venus!" Mie screamed, wanting the hero to move, do something other than stand there!

Before it could attack, a single white rose intercepted the monster.

Looking towards the end of the bus, the children and the Sailor Guardians turned to see the Arabian themed hero once again. The man leaning against the bus with another rose in his hand.

"It's the Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon and Venus cheered.

"Knight of the cryptic show offs." Sailor Gaea muttered.

"Once beyond the tunnel of frustration, there is a land of light overflowing with hope. You can overcome any hardship. All you must do is believe in yourself." The Moonlight Knight informed them.

"Believe in myself?" Sailor Venus asked.

"You all have a powerful ally! Don't you see how their belief in you can give you strength?" The Moonlight Knight asked, as he threw out his arm towards the children as they shouted encouragement.

Sailor Gaea and Sailor Notus smiled at the children. It wasn't often they had an audience, but seeing the children and their strong belief in them, it reminded them what they were truly fighting for. Protecting those they cared about and all the inhabitants of Earth.

Filled with renewed determination, Sailor Venus stood tall and proud. "The children taught me a lesson today. Believing in yourself is what's important! And that's what I'm gonna do to protect them."

"We will not allow you to terrorize them anymore! You overgrown chicken!" Sailor Notus shouted as she picked up her naginata and pointed it at the monster.

Before she knew what she was doing, Sailor Venus started screaming. Yellow energy enveloping her as an unnatural breeze swept her hair up.

"Lance of Summer's wrath and filled with the Winds of the South. I call upon you, Mother Earth. Hear the cry of your humble servant and guide my lance so my enemy has no chance!" Sailor Notus shouted as she held it steady.

Stepping on the rose, the monster stepped forward. "Gigaros!"

"Cresent..." Venus shouted as she charged her index finger.

"Gigaros!"

"...Beam Shower!" Venus shouted, the attack acting similar to her normal attack except of a single beam, which it started out as, it divided and watching it was like seeing a meteor shower.

Swiping her lance once to the left and swinging it back to the right, leaving sparks in the air as they swiftly moved towards the monster. Sailor Notus used the lance to push herself into the air and landed behind the monster. Punching out her palm and shouted, "Scorching Pine Garden!"

With the words leaving her lips, the slashes appeared on the monster's body, sparks acting like gunpowder as they exploded on contact with the monster's skin like mini-fireworks.

"Gigaros!" The Cardian shouted as Sailor Notus's attack and Sailor Venus's attack rained down on it. The light of the Crescent Beam Shower forming a cage and shocking it.

"Finish it, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Venus yelled.

"Destroy this thing, Sailor Gaea!" Sailor Notus yelled.

"Right! Moon Princess Halation!" Sailor Moon replied as she attacked.

Drawing her sword, Sailor Gaea unleashed her power. "Gaea Magma Inferno!"

"Gigaros!" The Cardian screamed for the final time, before being reduced back into a card. "Cleansing!"

Imbedding itself into the ground, the card released smoke as the image turned black. With the monster finally defeated, the children rejoiced in honor of the heroes.

"Well done." The Moonlight Knight congratulated them. "You have discovered the importance of believing in yourself. Adieu." His form literally vanishing before their eyes once again.

"Crescent Beam Shower..." Sailor Venus muttered, awed by the new attack.

"That's right. It's one of your hidden powers." Artemis confirmed.

"That was awesome!" Sailor Moon cheered.

"I guess we have them to thank for it." Artemis turned towards the children as they waved their arms, trying to gain their saviors attention.

"You're right. We won because they believed in us." Sailor Venus confirmed.

"Another job done by the Sailor Guardians." Sailor Notus spoke with a smile, happy the children were safe.

"Let's hope that Ali and An don't send another one anytime soon." Sailor Gaea replied.

"All right! Yeah! Sailor Moon!" The children cheered.

"Come on, let's go. Everybody's waiting." Artemis encouraged them as the four of them went over to the bus to meet and greet the kids.

Enjoying the enthusiastic cheering.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After seeing to the children, they managed to wake the driver and send all the children home. Nanami had gone home along with Usagi and Ayame. Minako had some free time and was hanging out with Mie.

"Minako, Sailor Moon was really cool, wasn't she?" Mie asked,

"Yeah, she sure was!" Minako agreed.

"You know what? Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus were both cool! I think I'm becoming a Sailor Venus fan! And guess what, guess what, guess what! There was also this time..." Mie gushed before she felt a hand atop her head, pausing her story as she looked up to see her brother.

"Calm down, little munchkin. Remember to breathe while telling your story." Souma told the little girl.

"Big brother!" Mie cheered. "You won't believe what happened today! Minako rode the bus with me today. And, and, I met Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Gaea, and Sailor Notus! They saved us from a monster attacking the bus!"

Souma's eyes widen at the news of the bus being attack, quickly scanning his little sister for any sign of injury before sighing in relief. Turning to Minako, he did the same.

"Neither of you got hurt did you?" Souma asked, wanting to make absolutely sure.

Flattered that he cared enough to ask, Minako blushed. "No. The Sailor Guardians protected us."

"That's a relief. If I ever meet them, I must thank them for protecting you and Mie." Souma said, smiling at her.

"I-I th-think they already know." Minako stuttered.

Smiling, he then bowed before Minako slightly. Shocking Minako slightly.

"Thank you, for watching over my sister during the fighting. I hope to see you again soon." He told her as he took his sister's hand and the two of them left.

Blushing, Minako squealed once they were out of ear shot. "He wants to meet me again! Yes! Best day ever!"


	9. The Sailor Cheerleading Squad

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

"Our plans with younger humans have not worked out as well as we anticipated. Perhaps another avenue is required to gather the energy we need." Ali suggested.

"What did you have in mind, Ali?" An asked.

"Cheerleading." Ali answered, informed his partner as he held out a flyer showing a cheerleading competition for their school tomorrow to her.

Taking the flyer from him, An looked it over. "So our next target are these girls?" An asked, a bit skeptical. "What about them and this sport makes them so special, Ali?"

"It is an activity wherein those girls, referred to as 'cheerleaders', perform to motivate their sports teams as a form of encouragement, to entertain the audience, or for competition. Just think of it, young girls full of energy as they raise the energy of others to show their support of their team during sport competitions. We can gather double the amount of energy than normal. It's exactly the thing we need for the Makai Tree. " Ali insisted.

"I see. How do they raise others energy?" An asked.

"From what I can understand, it can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. Competitive routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes, and contain components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting." Ali explained.

"Huh. These humans are weird. Expending so much time and energy on such events." An huffed.

"True. But that only makes it that much easier for us to take." Ali agreed before pulling out the cards. "An...Select a suitable Cardian to accomplish our cheer energy plan."

The male requested as he held out seven cards for her to choose from.

"Sure." She answered, picking out the third card from her left.

Allowing the card to fly into the air, Ali called out to it.

"Come forth, Cardian Amaderasu!" Ali commanded as he played his flute to awaken the monster.

With a flash of the surface, the image was revealed to the two aliens. The background featured a yellow and orange design, the colors separated into sixteen sections going around a giant red orb, forming a sun and sunbeams. In front of this was the monster itself. She possessed dark blue hair, swaying in a breeze only she could feel. Her skin held a lavender tint as her arms were raise above her head, overlapping. Her clothing consisted of a simple orange kimono with a long sleeveless haori held in place with a lavender obi over both of them. Around her neck was beaded necklace with magatama on it.

With the song over, the monster was ready to be unleashed upon the world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the gym of Juban Middle School, in preparation of the cheerleading competition, the cheerleading squad were once again stretching before they practiced their routine for the competition. The cheer captain being none other than Ayame Mascari. Taking a sip from her water bottle, Ayame glanced over at her team. Including herself, there were fifteen members. Each member wearing a sleeveless one-piece turtle necked cheerleading uniform with the main colors being red, white, and a little bit of yellow along where the sleeves would be and in the split sections of the skirt that ended about mid thigh, while the rest of it was red as it reached for the upper part of the uniform. The upper part was white with the words cheer on the front in red lined with blue. On the back was the initials JMS for Juban Middle School.

It was a decent sized group all things considered. A little known fact was that the size of a cheerleading squad depended on three things. One: the rules set by the association that oversees cheering. Two: the school's preferences. Three being on how many people were interested in cheering to begin with. With all these factors added together, a squad could range anywhere from five members to over forty. But only colleges really had that many, the reason being that smaller schools, even if they had that many people interested, simply don't have the budget for that many uniforms or coaches to oversee them.

Putting down her water bottle, Ayame headed back over to the mats they were practicing on.

Turning on the CD player, the cheer leading coach called out to the members of squad.

"Okay everyone, let's go over our routine again! The competition is tomorrow and I want this one to go perfectly without a hitch!"

Hurrying into position, Ayame waited almost impatiently for the song, "Colors of the Wind" by Vanessa Williams, to play through the speakers.

Over on the sidelines, Ami, Jing, and Usagi were watching them practice.

"This is so cool!" Jing gushed as she watched the squad get into position.

"It is certainly amazing to see the amount of effort they all put into this. Usagi, have you often come to watch Ayame's cheerleading practices?" Ami asked.

"A few times." Usagi shrugged. "I try to come to competitions whenever I can. Usually Naru and I watched her compete last year. Before Ayame got into cheerleading, she mostly focused on charities and community work." Usagi answered.

"It's amazing to see her manage not only being leader of the Sailor Guardians of Earth, but also cheer captain, lead charity groups, keep up her good grades, and date Nephrite. I'm amazed she hasn't collapsed yet." Jing told them, shaking her head in disbelief of all the things her princess was capable of doing.

Getting into position, the cheerleading squad positioned themselves with five girls in the center. The five of them forming a 'V'.

The girl in the center was part of the front row of the entire squad as a whole and bottom of the 'V'. Set diagonally behind her to the left and right was two other girls forming the middle of the 'V'. Behind them was two other girls, one on the left and right, forming the top of the 'V'.

Next to them was another row made of two other members of the squad. They stood in the spaces of the 'v' points. On the other side of them was three more members, forming the outside edge of the squad.

As they stood there, each girl kept their heads down. When the music finally started, before the girls could even move, the ceiling was blown open as the sun shined down on them. Screaming, many of the girls crouched down and tried to protect their heads from falling debris.

Coughing through the dust, Ayame looked up to see what had caused the explosion. Her eyes widening upon seeing Ali and An's latest Cardian.

Overlapping the sun overhead, the monster was almost impossible to see from the harshness of the light.

"What in the world was that explosion!?" Jing cried out.

"What's that light?!" Usagi asked as she covered her eyes.

"I don't know!" Ami replied.

The Cardian, was different from her card form, though there were similarities between the two. She retained her dark blue hair and her skin still held a lavender tint.

Her clothing was different in that she wore an orange jumpsuit that covered her from foot to mid-upper arm. Over this was the long sleeveless haori held in place with a lavender obi over both of them. Around her wrist and neck was light yellow bands.

Her hair was styled so her forehead was showing with two long strands framing her face. Part of her hair was pulled back from the front and tied with an orange ribbon. The rest flowed down her back, easily reaching her knees.

"Amaderasu!" The Cardian shouted, cupping her hands together as an orb of blue hair appeared, the strings shining in the light as they reached down towards the cheer squad.

Wrapping around the girls, the wires did their work, draining them of their energy. Their bodies glowing orange as they were weakened. Many fainting and falling to their knees. Others who had stayed down only groaned a bit.

Jing, Usagi, and Ami gasped at the sight. Even the cheer coach was attacked as the strands wrapped around her form.

"Oh no!" Ami cried.

"Look out, Ayame!" Jing called out to the princess.

Seeing the strands coming towards her, Ayame began back flipping away from the strands. Trying to evade them.

'Thank goodness for all that cheerleading practice.' Ayame thought, recalling all the backflips and cartwheels she had to practice for the competition and just when she was suppose to do during their routine, the monster oh so graciously interrupted.

Ayame had been doing fine until she tripped on some of the debris and rubble from the ceiling the monster created when it attacked.

"Ahh!" Ayame yelled as she toppled over. Seizing the opportunity, the strands didn't hesitate to wrap around her ankle and try to drag her back closer to the others.

Now ensnared by the monster's attack, there was little Ayame could do to fight back. Her body growing weak as she struggled.

"Let her go!" Jing yelled as she ran towards Ayame.

Before Jing could reach her however, the monster gathered enough of what it had come there for. Unwrapping the hair from all her victims, Amaderasu let them go, the shimmering strands retreating back into the ball of hair in the Cardian's hand. With a smirk and a chuckle, the monster disappeared without a trace.

The sky overhead returning to the beautiful blue they all knew and loved. Leaving behind the drained cheerleaders among the rubble.

Panting, Ayame managed to stay awake as Jing hurried to her side.

"Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Tell me if you are being to feel faint." Jing rushed out in one breath as she helped Ayame sit up. "Oh, what should I do? What should I do?" Jing muttered under her breath, nearly having a panic attack.

It honestly reminded Ayame of a fluttering hummingbird, unsure of which way it wanted to go.

"What should we do!?" Usagi yelled out as she surveyed the damage.

"Don't just stand there!" Ayame yelled. "The others have fainted. Go and get a teacher or some to call an ambulance for them!"

"Huh?" Usagi asked.

"Right!" Ami replied as she nodded her head. The blue haired girl running to do as she was asked.

Jing was terribly upset by what happened, unable to protect the princess she had sworn to risk life and limb for. She had failed. Shaking off her thoughts, she tried to focus on the matter at hand and help where she could. Soon, Ami returned with the teachers to help gather the fallen cheerleaders and gather them close to the entrance of the school for the ambulance to come and pick them up easier.

Ayame fought to remain conscious through out it all. Worried sick for the others. Soon, the droning noise of ambulance sirens drew closer and arrived at their destination. Ayame insisted the others girls being taken first before she was taken to the hospital since her condition wasn't as bad. But even she succumbed to the lack of energy. Eventually passing out.

When it was finally Ayame's turn, Jing, Ami, and Usagi joined her in the ambulance.

"Please be okay..." Jing begged. 'I won't be able to forgive myself if something bad happened when I was right there. I should have been have been better prepared. I'm so sorry I failed you!' She thought guiltily as tears trailed down her face as the ambulance drove on, the siren blasting in her ears as she held Ayame's hand to comfort not only the weakened princess as she slept, but also herself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in their lair, Ali and An were quite pleased with how well their scheme worked. The Makai tree glowing with the energy they had gathered thanks to the abilities of Amaderasu. Twirling the card on one finger, Ali couldn't help but chuckle.

"Our plan seems to be a huge success."

"How exciting." An giggled. "Let's steal some more life energy from those girls." She suggested.

"Well... We have to proceed their caution." Ali informed her, hesitant to gather more right away. "You know the Sailor Guardians have an uncanny way of suddenly appearing when you least expect them. Besides, there is still the competition in a few days. We can gather plenty then."

"Alright." His partner agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soon, the ambulances arrived at Azabu General Hospital. The girls were taken to a medical ward and placed upon the beds available. Ayame had eventually woken up and was resting in her bed as Jing, Ami, and Usagi gathered around. Each sitting on the edge of the bed.

Jing was fidgeting, eager to get anything Ayame might need and solve any discomfort the girl might have.

"So, what did the doctors say?" Usagi asked.

"Luckily, what happened wasn't life threatening. They estimate it will take week at the latest and three days at the earliest or so for the cheerleaders to be strong enough to leave the hospital. The teachers back at the school have already called everyone's parents to let them know what has happened." Ami answered.

"What about you, Ayame?" Jing asked.

"I'm sore and mostly worn out, but I'll be able to leave today when my parents come to pick me up. I just know Mom and Dad are going to flip out when they hear I was attacked again. I don't even want to know what the guys and the rest of the girls are going to do. If Jing here is anything to go by, they will be smothering me with worry and attention." Ayame joked as her friend blushed in embarrassment.

"Unfortunately, the other girls won't be able to perform in the cheer competition. I'm going to be the only one able to perform in time. But, I can't perform alone. It seems that Juban Middle School will probably have to drop out of the competition." Ayame informed them.

"Is there no one else who can take their place?" Jing asked.

Ayame only shook her head. "The entire team was there for practice and they were all attacked by the monster."

"Hey, why don't we fill in for them?" Usagi asked, the others turning towards her, their expressions showing confusion and a lack of understanding.

"The three of us could fill in for some of the missing girls and help Ayame out!" Usagi explained.

"Usagi, being a cheerleader isn't easy. One needs flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. You don't even know the routine." Ayame gently scolded her before breaking out into a teasing smile. "Besides, you would probably trip and fall before we even started."

"Hey!" Usagi cried as the others chuckled at the blondes indignation.

"But, Usagi does have an interesting idea." Jing pointed out. "Even if you don't have Usagi performing, Ami and I could still fill in for the members of the cheer squad. We're certainly flexible enough with all the back-flips and and stuff we do as Sailor Guardians. All you have to so is just teach us what to do routine wise."

Ayame contemplated the suggestion. She didn't want to drop out of the competition and she couldn't do it alone. She needed all the help she could get. It wouldn't be easy, but they could at least try.

"Ami. Would you be opposed to being a cheerleader for a day?" Ayame asked, wanting the bluenette's opinion since Usagi and Jing basically volunteered her without asking.

"I might not have a lot of time to practice with you since I still have cram school, but I'm not opposed to the idea. I think I can still make time for it." Ami answered.

Ayame nodded before turning to Jing. "We'll have to get permission from your school before you can cheer for mine, but besides that, I think we can do it."

"Great! It's settled." Jing cheered, happy to have found something do that would aid Ayame.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, news of the attack had spread quickly not only to Ayame's parents, but also the Four Kings of Heaven and by extension, Mamoru. Her parents having been called by the school and the Four Kings of Heaven by the machine they used to track down the Cardians. They recognized the location of the school's gym in an instant and fear attacked the hearts of the four knights with remorse. Fearing the safety of their princess was compromised. Each knowing full well Ayame would have been there at the time.

Nephrite's heart was burdened and attacked the most out of all the Four Kings of Heaven. Not only by his duty as a protector of the royal family of Earth, but his love for Ayame. What was the point of being a knight and having the power to protect if he could not save the one he loved and desire to protect the most.

The four of them quickly called the school to learn about the situation before they rushed towards the hospital. Jadeite stayed behind to call the rest of the girls and letting them know what happened before joining the rest of the Kings of Heaven later or go back to Ayame's house depending on what happened and how bad her condition was.

It just so happened, Mamoru was coming over to visit them at the mansion. When the prince was about the knock on the door, he was surprised to see his three friends nearly trample him in their rush to leave.

Once explaining the situation, Mamoru joined them as the headed over to the hospital. Nephrite was understandably agitated the entire ride over. The tension in the air between the knights and the worry leaving them to stew in their own thoughts. Silence reigning in the car. For Nephrite, his heart pounded against his ribs. The desire to tell Kunzite to go faster was strong, but managed to restrain himself. Rushing would only get them pulled over and waste even more time before he could see Ayame.

After what happened with the monster in the park, a dark fear had grown in Nephrite. The fear he wouldn't be there when Ayame needed him most. It was already there since their past life... but it had only grown with time. That he would let her down and she would die. Being unable to protect her. He couldn't lose her. As the hospital came into sight, it helped ease the dark binding feelings in his heart, even if only a little. The feelings would not dispate until he saw his love with his own eyes and held her safe and sound within his arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arriving at the hospital, Nephrite was the first to reach the front desk along side another man. At the same time they asked: "Excuse me, where can I find Ayame Mascari?"

Startled by this, the two looked at one another. Nephrite's eyes meeting none other than Mr. Mascari. Behind him was his wife rushing after him, trying to keep up with her worried husband as Kunzite and Zoisite followed likewise.

"Masato Sanjouin, I presume?" Mr. Mascari asked, a hard edge lacing his tone as he eyed Masato with suspicion. He easily recognized the man, but was surprised to see him here of all places. He promised Ayame he would give Masato a chance, but Ayame was still his little princess. It was his duty as a father to be harsh judging the man interested in his daughter.

"You are correct. You must be Mr. Mascari. It is nice to finally meet you in person. Though, I would have preferred meeting under different circumstances. " Masato replied as he offered his hand out for Mr. Mascari to shake.

"Likewise." Mr. Mascari replied, shaking Masato's hand. Though, the suspicion in Mr. Mascari's eyes had yet to fade. "You got here rather quickly."

"I came here as soon as I heard the news." Masato answered.

"Don't you have a company to run?" Mr. Mascari asked.

"To me, nothing is more important than Ayame's safety. No matter what, I would drop whatever it is I am doing to make sure Ayame is alright in a heartbeat." Masato answered.

Mr. Mascari was silent as this declaration, and he knew this was not merely words spoken to please him. The fires of love and determination burned in Masato's eyes.  
He was dead serious about his claim. Though Mr. Mascari did not express it, he was proud of his daughter for finding such a man to love with all her heart.

As for Masato, he was slightly nervous finally meeting Ayame's dad, but remained strong through the silence. The others kept their distance as they waited to see how the events before them would turn out. The silence was broken by Mrs. Mascari growing tired of the staredown and wanting to see her daughter already.

"So you're the dashing man our daughter is in love with. I must admit, Ayame has good taste. I'm her mother. Now, would you be so kind to introduce your companions?" She suggested.

"Of course." Masato answered as he turned to the others. "These are my coworkers and roommates, Teiso and Chiyu. Beside them is Mamoru, a friend of ours and an employee."

"Nice to meet you all. It is nice to see all of you managed to come here on such short notice just to check on Ayame. Now that introductions are over, I think it's high time we go see her." Mrs. Mascari suggested.

Nodding in agreement, the group asked for Ayame's ward and went to see her with Mr. Mascari and Masato at the head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Seeing the door of the ward opening, Ayame was expecting another doctor or nurse to step into the room. When she saw the thick mane of maroon hair and dark blue eyes meeting and latching on to her eyes, she gasped in surprise and glee.

"Masato!" Ayame cheered at the sight of her boyfriend.

Turning their heads, the girls smiled as moved aside for the couple to embrace each other. Seeing her in the hospital bed, awake and smiling, Masato's heart leaped for joy. Rushing to her side, he pulled her close and wrapping his arms around her. Holding her tightly as he could without fearing it would hurt her. His almost irrational; fear she would once again slip through his fingers made it difficult for him to let her go too soon. His heart finally able to slow and steady itself, now having proof his love was safe. Calming as he was finally reunited with her. Ayame was slightly startled by his actions, but smiled at him as she returned the hug from her seated position. Patting his back and smoothing his hair.

Jing and Ami watched, happy for Ayame and Masato. Finding the scene undeniably sweet.

Entering the room, the others joined them shortly.

Mrs. Mascari watched her daughter with a fond smile, happy for her daughter and silently gushing how adorable the couple was. She wished she had brought a camera. The mother was already imagining what her future grandchildren would look like and how much fun they would be.

As for Mr. Mascari, he was surprised to say the least. His doubts about Masato not being serious was shaken by what he was seeing. To him, Masato actions were not that of someone merely toying with a young girl's heart. Masato had a reputation to uphold, openly expressing himself with fear was something that amazed him. Masato didn't care if anyone saw him with Ayame. As Masato had said before. Mr. Mascari knew in that moment, that Masato truly meant every word he had spoke. He really would have dropped anything just to make sure Ayame was okay. Masato looked as if he would never let Ayame go again.

Huffing, Mr. Mascari turned away from the scene. Slightly irritated that Masato was keeping Ayame to himself and wasn't allowing him, Ayame's own father, to greet her.

Chiyu and Teiso sighed and rolled their eyes in good humor as they watched Masato finally calm down, not that they had been much better when they learned Ayame had been attacked. Merely better at hiding it. Mamoru stood beside them, as was relived as well.

Noticing Mamoru's presence, Usagi brightened right up only to be disappointed when Mamoru didn't even notice her. As Usagi turned back and watched the couple, she couldn't help but feel a little envious. Ayame and Nephrite were together and looked so happy. They were able to do things together as boyfriend and girlfriend while Mamoru didn't even remember their bond. Ignoring her.

Though she hated it, Usagi couldn't help the bad feelings growing in the pit of her stomach.

'There's also the fact Mamoru can be so rude sometimes.' Usagi thought as she puffed up in anger slightly. 'He hasn't even noticed I'm right here. Just the other day, he found something wrong with everything I ever do. He's so full of himself sometimes!' She grumbled to herself before the fire died and left her feeling worse for even thinking such things, let alone envious of her friend.

Ayame had helped her so much during the final battle with the Dark Kingdom. Cleaning up after the mess Usagi had left behind. It was thanks to her had the Four Winds of Earth her friends were alright and didn't die.

After what happened in their past lives and learning about Iris's death, Usagi felt she didn't deserve Ayame's kindness, much less her friendship. Even now, Ayame was trying to help her get back together with Mamoru. She was an amazing princess and Sailor Guardian. Never running away and keeping it together better than Usagi usually did. Usagi considered herself lucky to have Ayame as a friend. So mature and reliable. Usagi knew they were in different leagues.

'Ayame's right though, I am clumsy. Not only that, but I'm lazy and a poor student. I'm a coward. What does Mamoru even see in me? When neither of us remembered, we would always fight. This is terrible. Is it possible that Mamoru and I can't even get along at all? Please not that...!' Usagi begged in her mind as she couldn't help the whimper escape her lips as tears escaped her eyes.

Hearing it, Mamoru looked over at her and placing a hand on her shoulder, lead Usagi out of the room before the others could notice.

"Bun-head. You okay? What's the matter?" Mamoru asked.

"It's nothing." Usagi stubbornly stated, the tears falling harder now.

"Clearly." Mamoru stated, his tone laced with sarcasm. His face softening as he watched her try to stop crying. Deep inside, seeing Usagi in tears stung and caused his heart to ache.

"Just tell me. You might feel better if you just let it out and talk to someone about it. I promise not to judge you about whatever is bothering you." Mamoru asked.

Usagi turned away, shame of her feelings towards Ayame's flowering relationship with Nephrite and her own inadequacy and the status of her relationship with Mamoru leaving her unable to speak. Unable to face him, Usagi tried to run away.

"Wait, Bun-head!" Mamoru said, catching her hand and stopping her.

"Let go of me!" Usagi yelled at him.

"I just want to help. Please, just tell me what is wrong."

"I'm fine. Ayame's fine, I'm going home."

"What are you so upset about, Usagi?"

"I simply can't be around a guy who doesn't understand that a girl has feelings and doesn't want to talk about them. Give me some privacy!" Usagi demanded.

Sighing, Mamoru relented and let go of her hand. "I'm sorry if I'm being pushy. I'm just concerned about you. I know there are somethings you can't always talk to family or friends about. I just wanted to help. If you need someone to talk to, I don't mind lending an ear." He offered.

Seeing Mamoru like this, so concerned and worried about her and not Ayame, brought forth an emotion Usagi couldn't quite name.

Shaking it off, Usagi dried her tears and faced Mamoru. Trying to put up a brave front. "Thanks, but I'm fine. I'm just glad Ayame is okay. I'm going to go home now. See you later, Mamoru." Usagi said as she bowed and quickly left.

Mamoru watched her go, feeling he shouldn't have let her go so easily. Sighing once again, he returned to the room.

Upon returning, Mr. Mascari had enough and coughed rather loudly to get the couple's attention. Unfortunately for him, the two were in their own little world. Coughing louder, he finally gained their attention.

"Dad! Mom! Chiyu! Teiso! Mamoru!" Ayame cheered.

"About time you noticed." Chiyu joked.

"Sweetheart!" Mr. Mascari spoke, happy to finally have his daughter's attention. Sending a pointed glare at Masato to release his daughter.

Reluctantly, Masato let Ayame go and moved to stand beside Ayame's bed as her parents rushed over to smother their little princess. The two of them hugging and squeezing her as they checked her over for any injuries the doctors might have missed. Ranting how the Sailor Guardians were worthless and unable to stop the recurring menaces from terrorizing their city and traumatizing their daughter.

Seeing there was no calming them down once they got started, Ayame allowed them get it out of their system, having expected this beforehand.

When Mrs. Mascari finally relented and released her daughter, she announced would go to handle the paperwork so they could hurry up and take Ayame home so they would be out of the doctor's hair. They were taking up space and time the doctors could be using for other patients who needed their attention.

As Mrs. Mascari left, the others gathered around to fussed over Ayame themselves. As Mamoru, Chiyu, and Teiso gathered around and sat down on the edge of the bed to speak to Ayame, Mr. Mascari caught Masato's eyes. Gesturing out the door, Masato reluctantly followed the man outside to the hallway.

Once there, Masato sent him a questioning look, wondering what was going on.

"Follow me please." Mr. Mascari asked as they headed somewhere they could talk in private.

Reaching the roof, the two were alone as they faced each other.

"Mr. Mascari... I know I am a bit older than Ayame. But, for me, when you have someone you love, I don't think it becomes a hindrance. I'm not distorting any of these feelings, and I think Ayame feels the same way. I'm very serious about Ayame. We both are. I-" Masato started to say only to pause as Mr. Mascari raised his hand.

"I already know you are serious Ayame. The way you both act has already proven that to me. I didn't have you come out here to discuss that.

"As you already know, Ayame is my only daughter. You can't even begin to comprehend the feelings of being a father. Or, at least I hope you can't right now. If you can then that means you are even more unworthy of my daughter." Mr. Mascari said, sending a suspicious glare Masato's way.

"O-Of course not!" Masato sputtered. He didn't have children. He wasn't married.

"Good. I didn't think so." Mr. Mascari replied as he watched the clouds pass by. "Anyway, as Ayame's father, I have always known that one day my little girl would grow up and find someone she loved. To me, there wasn't a man on the planet that was ever worthy of her. However, I have found I may have to change that previous judgment."

Hearing this, Masato felt hope trickling into his heart.

"You have a long way to go before you gain my full approval, but you are off to a good start." Mr. Mascari relented as he turned and walked up to face Masato.

"You better treat Ayame right, or so help me, I will make sure you pay for hurting my little princess in any shape, form, or fashion." Mr. Mascari stated.

"Understood, sir." Masato replied.

"Good." Mr. Mascari said as he turned on his heels and headed back the way they came. "You have my reluctant approval and permission to date Ayame. And nothing more! If I hear you two doing something you're not suppose to, you will pay for it!"

"Yes, sir." Masato answered, chuckling as he followed the devoted father.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soon after, Ayame was taken home and the others scattered, each off to do their own thing.

The next morning, Ayame called Jing, Ami, and Usagi to arrange when they would start practicing for the Cheer competition. Knowing how important it was to Ayame, her parents didn't protest too much, merely making her promise not to push herself too hard.

Besides them, there was one person was against her moving around to much.

"Milady, are you sure you should be getting up yet? You're still-" Jadeite protested as Ayame changed into comfortable cloths, his tail acting as a blindfold.

"Jadeite, please." Ayame interjected. "I thought we had moved past this stage. Call me Ayame, not Milady. I'm also not made of glass. I was just drained of a little energy. I can still function properly and I can still teach the others the routine. We don't have time to waste."

"I know, but please just be careful. We worry about you." Jadeite begged.

"I'll be careful and I know you guys worry about me. I couldn't be more thankful for that. But I would appreciate some breathing room. I already promised my parents to be careful and I intend to keep that promise."

Sighing, Jadeite nodded. "Yes, Milady."

"Jadeite." Ayame said, her tone reminding him.

"Opps. Sorry, Ayame."

"Better. Now, let's get going." Ayame said as she headed out the door with Jadeite at her heels. As they walked out to the side walk, Jadeite had one last question.

"Are sure you don't want someone to drive you there?"

"Jadeite!" Ayame yelled. Huffing at his antics, though they both laughed it off in the end as they headed towards the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arriving at the school, Ayame was surprised to see not only Ami, Jing, and Usagi, but the rest of the two Sailor Guardian teams along with the other three members of the Four Kings of Heaven.

"Ayame!" Taura, Hiroko, and Nanami cried as they saw her, tackling the poor princess as they smothered her in attention. The girls trying to speak all at once, telling how relived they were, their words growing louder as they tried to speak over the other girls.

"Guys! You're squishing me!" Ayame squeaked from underneath them.

"Sorry." Taura chuckled as they removed themselves off of her with Nephrite coming to her aid and helped her up.

"When we heard what happened, we nearly freaked out. We've been holding ourselves back from marching straight over to your house to make sure you were okay." Hiroko informed her.

"If there is anything we can do to help, please just let us know!" Nanami insisted.

"Yeah! Even if I can't help with the competition, I can still cheer you on!" Usagi cheered from behind the group.

"Someone cheering for the cheerleaders. That has to be the most ironic thing I have ever." Zoisite stated with a chuckle.

"Are you alright, Ayame?" Nephrite asked.

Ayame only chuckled as she turned to look at her boyfriend. "Nephrite, I'm fine." She assured him.

"Anyway, what brings everyone here?" Ayame asked. "While I do like all the support, something tells me that you're not all here to support us during the cheer competition."

"Yeah, we wanted to talk to you before you started practicing." Rei answered.

"We're on our way over to Rei's place so we can all discuss how we're going to stop that latest Cardian that's on the loose. Can you guys come with us?" Minako asked.

"Why not talk here?" Ayame asked. "We are already gathered here, it would just waste time going all the way to the shrine just to talk. Besides, we have the field to ourselves, since the gym is closed for repairs."

"But we don't know what the Cardian looks like. We're going to the shrine so I can show the others what it looks like with the holy flame." Rei protested.

"Or, I can just show you this." Ayame offered. Pulling out her sketch book, Ayame flipped through the pages until she showed them a drawing of the current Cardian on the loose.

"That's her alright. The same monster that attacked Ayame and the rest of the cheer squad." Usagi declared.

"Wow. When did you find time to draw her?" Nanami asked.

"Last night. My parents were set on me not lifting so much as a finger. So, since I had some time, I figured I would draw what the Cardian looked liked, though she isn't hard to miss. She was blazing like the sun." Ayame explained.

"She looked very similar to a Sun tarot card image I saw one time before." Rei muttered.

"It makes sense that it would." Kunzite stated. "The Cardians are based off Tarot cards. Take Phalion for example. It symbolized the wheel of fortune."

"Right." Rei agreed as she went on to add what she knew. "In tarot, the Sun tarot card arcana signifies contentment - a happy marriage and love."

"That's a wonderful meaning." Ami stated.

"However, when reversed, the Sun Card signifies a different outcome – a broken engagement – marital woes, loneliness and failure." Rei added.

"That's awful." Makoto exclaimed.

"That's life for you. Not everything can be perfect." Hiroko stated with an indifferent shrug.

"It's balance, where there is good there is also bad. Basic ying and yang." Jing replied.

"So what outcome will happen for Usagi and Mamoru?" Minako asked.

"Don't forget Ayame and Nephrite along with Jing and Kijin!" Nanami cheered, ready to tease the two couples.

"Aw, come one! All of you know that Mamoru and I aren't ever close to being a couple yet!" Usagi said, growing embarrassed.

"Well, you better be careful someone else doesn't steal him away." Makoto teased.

"I just can't stand the thought of letting that happen!" Usagi shouted.

"Not on my watch! No way! Not happening! Mamoru and Usagi are destined to be together. I support them all the way and there is no way I will allow anyone to steal Mamoru away from Usagi! I don't care if they're civilians or crazy witches of evil that plan to brainwash him." Ayame declared.

"You... Really mean that Ayame?" Usagi asked, amazed Ayame would feel so strongly about the topic.

Her feelings from yesterday making her feel guilty.

"Of course!" Ayame declared, acting surprised Usagi thought otherwise. "I've always supported you and my brother being together. We've been trying to get the two of you back together even when you had erased your own memories along with his and your Guardians."

The other girls quickly nodding in agreement.

"Ayame..." Usagi whispered as tears gathered in her eyes, moved by Ayame's declaration.

"You're the best!" Usagi cried as she embarrassed her.

Chuckling at her friend's antics, Ayame simply patted her back in an effort to calm the blonde.

"Anyway, while this is very touching and sweet, aren't we forgetting something?" Zoisite asked, gaining the others attention.

"We still have a Cardian on the loose." Kunzite reminded them.

"Right." Ayame admitted as she removed Usagi off her person. "There's no doubt what happened yesterday will happen again and keep happening until that Cardian is taken care of."

"Do you think they will attack anymore schools at random?" Jadeite asked.

"No. Why waste time going place to place when they can gather all the energy they want in one place?" Ayame asked them. "Yesterday was just a test run. They'll probably wait until the competition to attack again."

Turning to Nephrite, she adressed him and the other Guardians of earth. "I need you and the others to keep an eye on things at the competition. Do you that will be possible?"

"Of course." Nephrite answered.

"You can depend on us!" The others cheered.

"Hey, don't count us out of the action." Makoto reminded them.

"We'll be there too." Minako offered.

"Thanks. Until then, let's get to work. We have a busy day ahead of us." Ayame told them.

"Well, you're going to need the proper equipment then."

Whirling around, the group was surprised to see Naru there. In her hand was a carrying case used for archery bows.

"Feeling better, Ayame?" Naru asked as she approached them.

"Naru! Glad you could join us. Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little drained yesterday." Ayame answered.

"Glad I'm not the only one around here that gets their energy drained." Naru quipped as she set down the case and hugged the princess.

"What did you mean by 'proper equipment', Naru?" Jing asked.

"That's what this thing is for." Naru answered, gesturing towards the case. "Go ahead and open it."

Nodding, Jing bent down and popped open the case, inside was a brand new bow she assumed was for her. The main colors matched her own Sailor Guardian uniform, only inverted.

The main color being pink with yellow accents and green thrown in presumably for a more springy theme. The tip of the bow was white with yellow mixed in, twisting around the actual bow like an albino vine before ending halfway through the upper and low limbs of the bow. Attached to it was the string notch holding the bow string in place. The sting itself was the same mix of yellow and white as the parts holding it in place which amazed Jing as she continued to look the weapon over.

The main part of the bow was pink, smooth and beautifully crafted. Coming up to the handle riser section of the bow, were light green designs that reminded her of blades of grass along with yellowing blades and yellow flowers with a single pink drop on each of the four petals. The grip was pink with yellow designs, from five petaled flowers and others lines to section off parts of the grip.

"I have dubbed it, the Spring's Messenger Bow. I hope it proves itself useful in the battles to come." Naru explained.

Looking up from her examination of the bow in her hands, Jing looked up with beaming grin before gently placing the weapon back in the case and glomping Naru.

"It's wonderful Naru. I can't wait to try it out! Those aliens won't know what hit them! They'll pay for hurting Ayame!" Jing promised.

"Here, here!" The girls responded, agreeing with Jing's sentiments.

"Now, lets get started!" Jing cheered, ready to start training.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ayame took a deep breath she stood along side with Jing and Ami. The three of them wearing the cheerleader uniform as they waited on the sidelines of the field. It was almost time for their team to perform and there was still no sign of the enemy. Looking around, Ayame noted both the presence of the Four Kings of Heaven's positions around the perimeter of the field and the Sailor Guardians in the stands.

Time had past rather quickly of Ayame as she spent the last days before the competition helping Ami and Jing learn the routine. It wasn't anything too special, considering the time they had to learn and practice, but considering the circumstances it was pretty good in Ayame's eyes.

Many other cheerleader teams had already performed and Ayame couldn't help but feel anxious. The other schools cheer squads had more members and were able to pull off harder moves than what Ayame and the others could do.

But there was no backing out now. Moving across the field to stand in the center of it, Ayame stood closest to the judges out of the three of them. Since the gym was being repaired, the competition was taking place outside. Standing in between Jing and Ami, Ayame to center point in their little 'V'-formation. Glancing over at the person managing the music, Ayame subtly nodded at them to go ahead and start the music.

As the music started, the three of them looked down at their feet, hearing her que, Ayame looked up at the crowd, but didn't allow stage fright get to her. If she could handle monster, she could handle this.

Ayame started things off with a High 'V', her arms lifting over her head into the shape of a 'v' before swinging her arms around in a circle and them executing a toe touch jump. Kicking out her legs straight to the side with toes pointed and knees back. Landing back on the ground, she did a single turn, spinning around once on one leg and ending in the same position she started in.

On her left and right, Jing and Ami each performed a Jete, leaping into the air as they extended one leg straight out in front of them with the back leg out behind them doing the same. Keeping their toes pointed as they did so.

Moving on to the next part, the three performed a wave. First with Jing and then Ayame and lastly Ami as they pushed out one arm that held a pom-pom. From there, Ayame hung back as Jing and Ami performed another Jete. As the three of them stood up, they moved in sync to the music as they performed a low 'V' followed by a high 'V'.

Turning to face each other Jing and Ami placed their pom-poms on the ground by their feet before they held their hands together, locking them in as Ayame stepped forward and braced her hands on their shoulders. The two knelt down slightly as Ayame placed her feet into their linked hands. Once they felt steady, they lifted Ayame up in the air, her arms spread wide in victory.

Easing her back to the ground, the three of them faced the crowd as Jing and Ami back flipped away. Turning on their heels, and giving the crowd their profile view, the girls forming the bow and arrow position with their arms. Extending one arm out and the other one bent in front of their faces. Throwing both arms out, they then did the candles sticks and then the touchdown arms first drawn up in front of them before shooting straight up. Doing another candlestick, the girls then sent their arms out diagonally, right arm towards the ground and left towards the sky.

Things were going well so far and Ayame was most of all enjoying herself. Almost forgetting the latest Cardian could pop out at any moment and attack her and everyone else gathered for the competition. Almost being the keyword.

Everything stopped when above their heads, the sky turned a dark red, the once cloudless sky filled with clouds as they swirled together like a whirlpool. In the center of that vortex the glowing orb, glowing like the sun, dominated the sky. Blotting out the true star that orbited the planet. Painting the world around them in a bloody red.

Ayame couldn't help but shiver at the sight, reminding her of the fall of her kingdom. The blazing fires that burned their kingdom to the ground and the blood of humans staining it.

In the center of this blinding orb was none other than Amaderasu.

"Huh?!" The crowd muttered and whispered among themselves, unknowing of the danger descending upon them.

"Everyone! Evacuate immediately!" The Four Kings of Heaven shouted, the men already having slipped away and transformed out of sight. Their job was to try and remove as many people away from the fighting while the others tried to take care of the monster.

Moving quickly, the girls in the stands moved with some of the hesitant but moving evacuees so they could slip away and transform.

"Amaderasu...!" The monster shouted down at them. Bringing her hands together before her, the mass of blue hair appeared as it began to unravel.

"Hold it!"

Turning to look down, Amaderasu watched as the first of the Sailor Guardians appeared on the scene. The first being Sailor Mars who had shouted out prior to this, followed by Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter.

"We can not allow you to prey on life energy of these cheerleaders." Sailor Mars shouted, directing an accusing finger at the monster in the sky.

"You monsters never change. You're the worst!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.

Taking the opportunity, Ayame, Jing, and Ami quickly slipped away to transform themselves.

"Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus attacked.

Grunting, Amaderasu moved out of the way of the attack. The mass of blue hair turning into an orange translucent orb which she quickly blew on, bubbles appearing as they swiftly descended on the cheerleaders and spectators not quick enough to escape. People screaming in fight as they became trapped in the bubbles and were carried up into the sky. The bubbles surrounding Amaderasu, acting a perfect shields.

Witnessing this cowardly act, the Sailor Guardians couldn't help but gasp at the monster.

"That rotten coward!" Sailor Mars shouted.

"She's using them as a shield!" Sailor Jupiter observed.

"Not only that, Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Boreas shouted as she along with Eurus and Notus arrived. "She's also brought her prey closer."

"She can not only defend, but also drain the civilians while we are unable to attack!" Sailor Eurus cried.

"Even with my Lance of Summers wrath and its extended reach, she's too high up to hit. The openings are too small! Any one of our attacks might hit a civilian." Sailor Notus warned.

"Amaderasu!" The monster quickly yelled, four beams of light zipping past her living shield and hitting the ground before them.

"Ah!" They had cried as they braced themselves, the blast sending them sprawling on their backs.

Gasping at the sight, it was time to transform.

"Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!"

"Mercury Power! Make Up!"

"Gaea Feudal Power! Make Up!"

"Zephryus Power! Make Up!"

With the transformations complete, Amaderasu didn't waste another second in attacking them, sending the girls drop to the ground as they tried to maneuver away from the beams of light the monster sent them.

Stopping her attacks, Amaderasu began to complete her original mission: to drain the cheerleaders and the spectators of the event. The strands of blue hair trickling down and wrapping around her victims as she leeched energy away from them.

"W-What is this!?" Sailor Moon cried.

"It's draining all of my strength...!" Sailor Mercury added.

"You already know what it is!" Sailor Gaea yelled, feeling the unsavory feeling of being drained once again. To be caught in it again was insulting and a blow to her pride as a Sailor Guardian.

"How strong can single strands of hair be?!" Sailor Zephryus asked, trying to pull the strands and break free.

Chuckling at their misfortune, Amaderasu cried out as something sharp flew right past her, making her clasp her face with her hands.

Landing on the ground with three petals falling to the ground, bathed yellow in the glow of Amaderasu's power a white rose appeared, the cause of Amaderasu's pain. The distraction causing the taut strings of hair to fall limp as they no longer were controlled to drain them. The bubbles falling to the ground as well, the shield lowering as none other than The Moonlight Knight appeared up on the bleachers that had been cleared out.

"Competitions are times when teammates come together and support one another achieve their goals. It should be time together spent enjoying themselves and strengthening their bonds! I can't allow monsters to ruin that special moment." The man in Arabian garb declared.

"Moonlight Knight! It's you!" Sailor Moon cheered.

"Cheerleaders raise the spirit of others. You can't just fake spirit; you have to live it!" The Moonlight Knight said, ignoring Sailor Moon.

"Hm." Sailor Gaea hummed. "He's got a point this time, so I'll let my slight grudge go for now."

"You monster! Using those innocent bystanders as human shields to protect yourself is unforgivable! Now I'm mad!" Sailor Mercury declared as presented her new attack.

"Bubble Freezing Spray!"

It was similar to her regular Bubble Spray in the way she moved and launched the attack, the main difference was the bubbles froze their target rather than envelop them in a fog.

"Whoa! Sailor Mercury, when did you acquire such a powerful new technique?" Sailor Moon asked.

"A new power awoke in me when I saw those girls being threatened. They put their all into this event and it made me mad to see this monster ruin it!" Sailor Mercury explained.

"Quick, Sailor Moon! Soon the sun's heat will thaw out that Cardian and she'll attack again!" Sailor Mercury warned her.

"Gotcha! I'm on it!" Sailor Moon assured her.

"You are really, really unforgivable for attacking my friend and disrupting this competition that means so much to her!" Sailor Moon shouted at the monster. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"On behalf of Mother Earth, I shall brighten the darkness and vanquish the evil within!" Sailor Gaea declared.

"Hang on a minute!" Sailor Zephryus asked before they sent her a questioning look. "I have a personal score to settle with this monster, mind if I aid you in defeating this monster?"

"Oh, sure." Sailor Moon replied as she then prepared her attack. "Moon Princess Halation!"

"Spring's Messenger Bow, filled with the Winds of the West! Guide my message to my blessed Mother Earth. Hear the whispers of you child's cry on the winds breath and guide by arrow to the enemies death! Chic Breathless Whirlwind!" Sailor Zephryus cried. To her surprise, wind rushed around Sailor Zephryus as she was lifted off the ground by the back of her Sailor uniform, swung around finding herself placed upon the back of a horse made of wind. The strong animal having used its teeth to snatch her off the ground and onto it's back. It was without bridle or saddle, for it was the wind, it could never completely be tamed.

Before them, Sailor Zephryus saw a path before them winding this way and that. Looking at her steed, it gave her a questioning look before she nodded. With confirmation, the horse took off, yet Sailor Zephryus did not slip off it's back. As they rode closer to Amaderasu, Sailor Zephryus took aim once again.

A whirlwind forming around the tip of the arrow. Releasing the arrow, the wind covered the entire arrow, streaking through the air until it hit the Cardian. The arrow hitting the monster but the whirlwind enveloping the monster, creating a orb of wind, sucking the air out from within, leaving Amaderasu literally breathless.

"Gaea Magma Inferno!" Sailor Gaea shouted, attacking as well.

The attacks hit their mark.

"Cleansing!" Amaderasu gave her final cry, destroyed once and for all. Returning into a card as if fell from the sky and landed on the ground. The image blackening as smoke escaped it.

Standing up, all the Sailor Guardians started helping the civilians up.

"A wonderful display of teamwork! Adieu!" The Moonlight Knight spoke before disappearing.

"Thank you so much, Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon gushed before Sailor Gaea smacked her upside the head. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Stop drooling! Don't forget you already have someone special!" Sailor Gaea reminded her.

"Sorry, Sailor Gaea." Sailor Moon replied with a chuckle.

Looking around the field, Sailor Gaea sighed. It was a mess from the monster's attacks and people were still trying to sort themselves out, but all things considered, it was a mission success. Now, there was only the results of the competition to worry about.


	10. Queen Rei's Song

_**I thank December Silentvale for helping me.**_

It was a beautiful day at the Hikawa Shrine, the sun shining as a slight breeze making the weather nothing but pleasant. Standing outside wearing the shrine maiden uniform, made up of a pair of vermilion, long, divided trousers that was a pair of hakama and a white kimono robe called a kosode, Ayame couldn't help but take a moment away from her sweeping and admire the day.

It was odd to be wearing such an outfit, the same type Rei normally wore, but Ayame didn't mind it too much. The two on better terms than they had once been along with the majority of the rest of her team. Nanami still had her reservations about the girl mostly due to her being worried for Yuichiro's sake. But they got along as best they could. Jing no longer looked up to Rei as she once did, but it was mostly water under the bridge now.

Looking at her members, Ayame observed them as they worked. Taura wore the same outfit as the Princess of Earth only with red hair ribbons holding her lapis lazuli hair in her signature high ponytail. Her normally yellow and baby blue hair clips were exchanged for white ones to hold her bangs back. Nanami was with them as well, wearing the uniform and her cyber grape hair braided with a white ribbon. The bespectacled girl wasn't wearing her fedora like she usually would, but it was a nice change every now and then.

The three of them were working, along side Makoto and Minako, at the shrine to help out Grandpa Hino. It was a good thing too, considering the number of visitors they had that day. Most were middle school girls, but there was the occasional boy or elderly woman with her grandchild. With the Cheerleading competition out of the way, Ayame had more free time to help out around the place. Nanami didn't have any major projects at Studio Dive to work on either and Taura was free from fencing practice to work too.

Thinking back to the competition, when some semblance of order was restored, they gave out the awards. While Ayame's team didn't get first place, they did receive the Unique Award for their performance. Since then, Ayame and the rest of Earth's protectors were enjoying the peace.

Finishing her sweeping, Ayame headed back to join the others. From the looks of it, the brunette was about to make her sales pitch.

"Everyone gather round! I have something to show you! The amulets from the Hikawa Shrine work wonders on lovesickness! And I'm telling you this, based on my own personal experience. No matter how many times I've had my heart broken, I've always found a new love with this." Makoto advertised.

"My friend here bought one and met a cute boy." Nanami pitched in, rubbing her elbow into Minako's. Making the blonde blush as she thought of Souma.

"Our amulets are the best cure for problems of the heart." Grandpa added.

"I could sure use one!" One girl gushed.

"Me too!" Her friend cooed.

"For the more studious, we have amulets to help with that upcoming test. Or for the athletic type, we have amulets to help give you that extra push. I bought one and it helped me with my fencing club." Taura declared.

The visiting crowd of girls chattering excitedly as discussed the type of boy they would want. Each were eager to buy one as Nanami accepted the payment for the amulets, Taura selected the amulet the patron wanted, and Minako handed them over.

"Here you go! Come back if things don't work out for you." Minako offered.

"Weren't you listening? These amulets fix everything." Grandpa insisted.

"Oh! That's right!" Minako replied, slightly abashed.

After the business rush, the group rested around the stand. Makoto leaning on the counter outside the stand along with Ayame while Minako, Taura, Nanami, and Grandpa sat inside.

"Ah! Being a Shine Maiden sure is tiring." Minako sighed.

"You can say that again." Nanami joked.

"This is nothing compared to fencing." Taura said with a smile.

"Being busy is a good thing though. Better to have lots of business than no business at all." Ayame added.

"Thank you for all your hard work, girls!" Grandpa thanked them, drinking some tea while they rested.

"Hi, Gramps!" Usagi greeted as she headed over towards them with Ami.

"Ah! It's Usagi!" Grandpa recognized as he watched the two girls approach.

"How come the five of you are here?" Ami asked noticing the girls outfits.

"Hey, where's Rei?" Usagi noticing her arguing buddy was missing.

"Rei is chairman of the school festival, so she'll be coming home late for a few days." Grandpa answered, explaining Rei's absence.

"Since Rei can't work, Grandpa here asked the five of us to pitch in and fulfill some of Rei's Shine Maiden duties. We weren't busy so we agreed." Ayame answered.

"Would you like to be Shine Maidens too, and help out?" Grandpa offered.

Ami chuckled at the offer.

"Well, that would be pretty cool, except for I don't want to memorize sutras." Usagi answered, rubbing the back of her neck as she offered the lame excuse.

"This is a Shinto Shrine. Only Buddhists do sutras." Grandpa disgruntled at the mix up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day, all the girls at the T.A. Academy for Girls were busy preparing for their School Festival. Among them was Rei, Jing and Hiroko. In preparation, the three were working in the school auditorium.

"A little up and to the left." Rei directed standing in the center of the stage, arms raised high as she motioned where everything needed to go. "A bit more. Right there. Okay!" She declared.

"Miss Rei..." A shy, hesitant voice spoke up.

Turning, Rei looked to see another student and her classmate behind her. "What is it?" She grumpily demanded.

"Um, I have a question about our class exhibition." The girl explained.

"I told you everything you need to know about it yesterday! How many times must I go over it?! I don't have time right now. I'm busy trying to get the stage ready!" Rei told her, walking off to get back to work.

"But we've got a problem and we're afraid to proceed until we get your permission." The girl protested.

Irked by the interruption, Rei sighed before relenting slightly. "Oh, all right. I'll come by later." Rei promised as she walked backstage and noticed something out of place. "Who left this equipment here? Somebody could bump into it, so put it away!" She ordered.

"Miss Rei is so efficient." One of Rei's fans gushed as the girl and her friend beside her watched their idol work.

"She is! We wouldn't be able to have a successful festival this year without her putting everything together." The other fawner gushed in agreement.

"More like loud and bossy if you ask me." Jing muttered under her breath. Irritated slightly with Rei's attitude. Jing did appreciate Rei's hard work, there was no doubt about that. However, Jing just didn't particularly like all the yelling. With all the stress Rei was under, the girl was even more snappish than usual. But Rei wasn't even the worst part. Most of Jing's irritation coming from all the other student's actions.

'Seriously, it's like they can't think for themselves. Is it because they're too afraid to do anything wrong and get their head bit off by Rei or are they too busy admiring her to get any serious work done?' Jing thought as she hurried over to move the equipment since no one else was doing it. 'Because of all the other students that are too busy gushing to actually work, I was pulled away from my own class activities to help out here!'

"You two, stop standing around gabbing, and get working!" Rei yelled at the two sycophants.

"Okay!" The girls cheered, somehow happy to get yelled at.

"Miss Rei actually spoke to us for the first time!" The first girl gushed.

"Lucky us!" Her friend squealed in delight.

"Ugh!" Jing groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick. I hope I wasn't that bad when I was a fan girl." She muttered annoyed.

"Ugh! Jeez!" Rei groaned from her fan's actions. Slumping over under the weight of having to deal with idiots. "I have so much to do that I would even ask a cat for help."

"Hey, Rei!" Usagi called out.

"Huh? Oh, Usagi!" Rei called out, perking up a bit.

"Oh, Ayame and Ami are here too!" Jing cheered, happy to see them.

"Here they are! Luna and Artemis!" Usagi said, the two cats flopped over on her shoulders as Usagi held their paws together. "Oh, and Jadeite is here too!" The cat on Ayame's arms.

"Huh?" Rei asked, confused.

"You said you were so busy, you'd ask a cat for help." Usagi explained, pulling Luna's paws.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Luna said, trying to keep quiet so no one would hear her talking, though unable to be silent due to the pain.

"Did you come here just to make me go totally crazy?!" Rei asked.

"Ha! Ha! We came here to support you!" Usagi explained, throwing off the two felines as Jing and Ayame ran to catch them.

"Usagi! Be more careful!" Ayame scolded the blonde.

"Here. Mako made some lunch for you." Ami offered, holding the obento.

"Thank you!" Rei said with a smile, happy to have it.

"You don't mind if we stay and watch rehearsal, do you?" Usagi asked.

"Of course! We're just getting everything ready to run it." Rei told them.

Standing off to the side backstage, Ayame, Usagi, Ami, and the cats waited for rehearsal to begin as Rei headed over to the center of the stage and Jing went to handle the music. With the spot light on and the music starting, Rei began to sing.

 _I'm not about to ignore you  
I will save you...  
After all..._

It was going well until, the spotlight turned red.

"You on the spotlight! This isn't a cabaret! Don't use those colors!" Rei ordered, the mic helping her be heard from all the way up in the rafters.

"Cabaret?" One of the girls working the spotlight asked as Jing turned off the music.

"We don't know what that is, so we don't know what colors not to use!" Her partner yelled back.

Sighing, Hiroko walked over to the two girls. "Let me explain. It's an underground night club with performers. When she's saying is don't use colors like in nightclub strobe lights. So don't use red, blue, or green. It'll clash with her dress during the performance. Got it?"

"Oh, okay then." The girls replied once they understood.

"Forget it! Take five!" Rei ordered, walking backstage to the others. "Ughh... Besides Jing and Hiroko, nobody really seems to care but me."

"I'm sure that's not true." Ayame assured her.

"If it wasn't for those two, I would have already gone crazy by now." Rei continued to groan.

"Nice song! It sounded really good, and I was wondering who wrote the lyrics?" Usagi asked.

"Well, you have good taste in music." Rei complemented her. "As it just so happens, I wrote every single musical number for the School Festival." She informed them, pulling out a stack of music sheets.

"Huh?!" The three humans and cats asked.

"What is it? You have a problem with the fact that I wrote all the songs?" Rei asked, getting testy.

Laughing to ease away the tension, Usagi waved away the accusation. "No problem at all!"

"Although, it does sound like you're using the School Festival to show off your personal talent." Ami pointed out.

"I sure am! Why do you think I became Festival chairman and on-site manager? I have a lot invested in this!" Rei explained.

The answer causing Ami to giggle.

"And here we thought you had changed!" Artemis explained.

"Thank goodness, you're the same Rei!" Usagi cheered.

"I'm not sure if that was a complement or you're just being rude." Ayame scowled at the cat.

Outside, hidden among the foliage of a tree, outsiders were planning on investing their own time and energy into the festival and reap the grand rewards.

"A school festival..." Seijuro muttered contemplating the possibilities.

"That means tomorrow, this place will be brimming with youthful energy." Natsumi said, her mouth watering at the thought.

"I can almost taste it already." Seijuro agreed, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Yes, then the Makai Tree will be able to thrive once again." Natsumi said, recalling the vague memories the tree had been full of life.

"Yes..." Seijuro muttered, yearning for the day they would no longer have to struggle to survive. Hoping the next Cardian would succeed and they could live in peace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soon, before the gang new it, the day of the festival was a good night's rest away. Once again, the two Sailor Guardian groups gathered together at the Hikawa Shrine. Rei in her Shrine Maiden outfit and the others in their school uniforms. While Rei sat on the steps, the others gathered around. But instead of discussing the enemy, the flow of discussion was centered around the festival.

"Hey, Rei! Tomorrow's the big day!" Usagi reminded her.

"We're gonna take the day off from our Shrine Maiden jobs to come and watch the show!" Makoto informed her.

"Oh? Did Grandpa say he's coming too?" Rei asked.

"Yeah. Yuichiro said he's going to cover for us." Makoto informed her.

"Actually!" Nanami interjected. "I'm going to be covering for everyone."

"Really? Why?" Hiroko asked, curious why her friend wasn't coming. "I thought you wanted to see the art club exhibition?"

"Yeah, a little. But Yuichiro looked so depressed when he learned he couldn't go, so I offered to take his place. I don't really mind. What are friends for if they can't help you out when in a pickle?" Nanami answered, happy to help Yuichiro with his crush and having found an excuse to not go.

"Who else is coming?" Taura asked.

"The rest of the Four Kings of Heaven and myself are coming." Jadeite answered.

"So is Kijin!" Jing added.

"It's pretty amazing that you wrote all the songs by yourself." Minako said, addressing Rei.

"I'll say. That must've been a lot of work." Ami added.

"No, not really. The lyrics came to me rather easily. And the melodies just seemed to flow right out of my fingertips. I never even broke a sweat. It was easy. A piece of cake. It's what they call talent." Rei assured them, confidence brimming in her voice.

"Rei! You're so awesome!" Usagi gushed.

Ayame however, wasn't quite buying it. "Rei, something on your face tells me you aren't telling the truth." She said in a sing-song voice, her eyes watching Rei with suspicion as the Shrine Maiden sweated under the harsh stare.

"Uh...isn't it inappropriate for the Guardians to get so excited about these things?" Artemis asked.

"I think it's alright once in a while." Luna assured him.

Hearing the two cats, Ayame whipped around and gave them the nastiest glare she could.

"U-Uh... Um... A-Ayame!? I-Is something w-wrong?" Artemis hesitantly asked.

"How old are we?" Ayame asked.

Seeing the felines confused faces, she elaborated. "How old are each of the girls here?"

"U-Um? Around... Um... F-Fourteen?" Artemis answered, unsure where Ayame was going with this or what he had done to upset her.

"Yes. Around the age of fourteen. Do you know what that means?" Ayame asked, a smile donning her face, warm and welcoming though her voice cold with a steely calm.

Shaking their heads, Ayame's pleasant smile vanished. "It means...WE. ARE JUST. KIDS." Ayame gritted out, stepping closer to the white feline as everyone watched with rapid attention. Looming over him, Ayame took a few deep breaths before continuing in a calmer voice. Though, they could practically see aura of anger wrapped around her.

"We are still just kids, Artemis. This isn't the Silver Millennium any more. We are more than just Guardians." Ayame remined him. "Girls our age should get excited about these types of things. You have a bad habit of forgetting that fact. We were reborn in order to live the peaceful lives that was taken away from us by the Dark Kingdom! So don't think for even a moment of robbing us of movements like this, you insensitive furball!"

Artimis gulped in fear, finding it hard to swallow. "Y-Yes, Ma'am!" He answered.

"Good!" Ayame spoke, turning on her heels and marching away from the shrine, still fuming in anger. The others giving her wide berth.

Stopping, Ayame took a few deep breaths, calming herself before turning around and addressing the others.

"Forgive me. He struck a nerve. I shouldn't have caused a scene. I'm just tired from fretting over the new threat and all. I've had enough for tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow. Goodnight." Ayame said.

"Uh, wait! Do you want to walk home together?" Hiroko asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but not tonight. I need to cool off. Goodnight." Ayame repeated, bidding her farewells and walking out into the night alone.

For a moment the Planetary Guardians and the remaining Guardians of Earth watched in silence as Ayame left, until Nanami broke the ice.

"I'm worried about her."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Usagi asked.

"Sure, she was angry just now, but it's like she said. She just tired and stressed worrying about the enemy. She probably just needs a day to kick back and relax. The festival will be a great chance to do that." Makoto assured them.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Taura asked, skeptical since Usagi had known Ayame longer than they had and been best of friends.

"She's been on edge ever since the incident with her cheerleading squad was attacked and sent to the hospital." Jing answered Usagi's question.

"She's been having nightmares again." Jadeite added.

"Yeah, just the other night, she called me in the middle of the night." Taura informed them. "She was bawling her eyes out over the phone. I could barely make out what she was saying."

"Me too." Hiroko chipped in.

"I got a call as well." Jing added

"So did I." Nanami raised her hand.

"Why would Ayame be doing that?" Rei asked. "What would be causing her to be bawling of all things?"

"Ayame doesn't seem like the type to call and disturb someone in the middle of the night without reason. What is wrong?" Ami asked

"Ayame told us she has been having nightmares about our past lives and our deaths back then again." Nanami explained.

"She hates that she's been doing it and disturbing our sleep, not that we really mind. We want to be there for her. Ever since the cherry blossom viewing, she been more open and sharing her fears with us, which is good." Jing said, happy Ayame was being more open and depending on them, but sad Ayame was going through such trouble.

"The reason she's been calling in the middle of the night to assure herself we're still alive. She's been afraid that the life we have been living up until now wasn't all just a dream and we're actually dying alone on some battlefield back in the Silver Millennium."

"What caused this relapse? I thought she was getting better with her nightmares." Minako asked

"She was. But we think what triggered this was that she couldn't save the cheer squad when she was right there with them." Nanami answered.

"Ayame takes her role seriously, almost too seriously. You girls are young. You shouldn't have to worry about the chance of dying again in battle against the enemy. " Jadeite said, looking out towards the city.

"Out there are thousands of people. The people of Earth, Ayame's people. Normal girls your age shouldn't have to worry people might be out there dying because of monsters or aliens coming around and stealing the life energy out of them. Up until this point, we have been fortunate that no one has died. People have been sent to the hospital because we were not able to save them in time from getting drained or injured. Most of the time is had been coincidence that leads us to the same place the monsters are at. I believe one of Ayame's fears is that one of these days we will arrive too late to save them. She worries she might lose her friends again and that they will die trying to protect her in battle." Jadeite explained.

"Ayame is rather mature, but deep down she is still a young girl. Going through such trials wears down on a person, especially a fourteen year old." Jadeite ended with a sigh.

"Some of us have been having nightmares too. So it's a relief to get a call from her." Hiroko informed them, the Four Winds of Earth gathering around each other for comfort.

The Planetary Sailor Guardians were shocked by the information. None of them had any nightmares or really thought about anything Jadeite had said. Seeing the understanding and haunted looks in the others eyes, they knew it was all too real for them.

Sighing, Nanami broke the tension. "Well that's enough depressing thoughts for one night. The most of us will see you tomorrow. Goodnight!" Nanami cheered.

With a wave, the four winds of earth left, the planetary guardians muttering their own farewells as they watched them go. Each left to their own thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, the T.A. School Festival was well underway.

Jing, Rei, and Hiroko were already at the school either helping out with their classes, their clubs, or in Rei's case the entire festival. Yuichiro had offered to help Rei, so he wasn't there to meet up with the others.

Meeting up at the entrance, Makoto, Usagi, Minako, and the feline companions were waiting for the others to arrive. Of the civilian group of friends, there was of course Grandpa. But he wasn't the only one. Kijin, going to the boys school for T.A. Academy and being Jing's boyfriend, knew about the school festival and had come to show his support and have fun. Hoping to walk around the campus with Jing when her shift was over from the class event she was helping out with. They were surprised however to see Naru and Umino had come along to join them for the festival. Naru explaining Ayame had invited them and wanted to give Hiroko something.

Looking at the duffle bag she was carrying, the Planetary Guardians assumed it was a new weapon for Hiroko.

When Ayame and her team arrived, Usagi noted Ayame looked better than she did the night before. The words Ayame had said had struck a chord in Usagi. She wanted to be a normal girl ever since the whole thing began. The way Ayame had took everything in stride, her grace, dedication, and determination to see things through to the bitter end were things Usagi had admired and envied Ayame for.

A part of Usagi though Ayame almost enjoyed being a Sailor Guardian. But last night... Seeing Ayame just burst out like that... The raw emotion and outrage at Artemis's comment. It was a side Usagi had seen a handful of times. Most of the time directed at herself. Back at the Starlight tower and the D point in the Arctic when facing the Dark Kingdom being some of the more prominent memories. It was odd to see it as an observer and not the one getting yelled at.

The other members of Ayame's group, they knew about it and from the way they acted had been going through the same things. Yet they appeared so happy and cheerful most of the time. Like nothing bothered them.

Last night... It enlightened Usagi. Despite Ayame's amazing ability to handle the burden and responsibilities thrown at her, it appeared Ayame wanted the same normal life Usagi did. It made her feel better that she wasn't the only one that wanted a normal life, but it made her feel terrible she was so blind to Ayame's pain.

Usagi tried to push such thoughts aside, it was a beautiful day after all and they were there to have fun. But envy gave her little reprieve. Seeing Ayame walk hand in hand with Nephrite was another stab through the heart for the blonde.

Mamoru still did not remember her. Meanwhile, Ayame was reunited with her lover. It wasn't fair.

Shaking her head and slapping her cheeks, Usagi finally pushed the dark thoughts away before greeting Ayame and Nephrite, the members of Ayame's team, and the rest Four King of Heaven that lagged behind the others.

"Wow, Rei wasn't kidding when she said it was an all girl school." Artemis muttered in awe.

Ahead of the group, Grandpa was already talking to girls.

"Hey, there... Young ladies! Oh, you're both so cute! Would you be interested in a part-time job at my shrine?" Grandpa asked.

"I'm so sorry, sir, but this school doesn't allow us to take part-time jobs." One of the two girls politely declined.

"Thanks anyway!" The second replied.

"Have a nice day!" The two said as they headed on further on the campus grounds.

"You have a nice one, too!" Grandpa replied before muttering to himself. "I better brush up on talking to young girls so I don't scare them off."

While Grandpa was off to try and get more girls to become Shrine Maidens, the rest of the group stayed close as they looked for anything that would catch their eye.

As they walked around, Usagi began to complain. "Where's the takoyaki? The yakisoba? The curried rice?"

"Is all you can think about your stomach?" Nephrite asked, in slight disbelief and irritation.

"Chill..." Makoto told the blonde and knight.

"We have nearly all day to explore and find out where the food is, Usagi so don't worry." Taura told her.

"If I remember correctly, Jing's class has a café. We can get something to eat there when we go to visit." Kunzite informed them.

"I can't wait!" Kijin exclaimed.

"You mean you can't wait to see your girlfriend in a cute maid outfit?" Zoisite teased, making the boy blush and stutter.

"Where's Ami?" Luna asked.

"Um, I think she went to watch the research presentations." Minako explained.

"So, what should we do first?" Nephrite asked.

"Umino and I are going to go find Hiroko to drop off the bag. After that, were going to hang around and explore on our own." Naru explained. "Do you guys want to set a time and place to meet later?"

"Well, we're all going to see Rei perform later in the school auditorium so we can meet up there. How does that sound?" Taura suggested.

Getting affirmative answers, Naru nodded as she and Umino headed off to find Hiroko. Though, not before Nephrite gave Umino a quick and firm warning to Umino to treat Naru well and make sure nothing happened to her. Along with ruffling up Naru's hair a little as the couple headed off.

Seeing no one else was splitting off from the group yet, Ayame looked around for anything the group could do before they eventually did go their separate ways until Rei's preformance.

"If Usagi's stomach can wait for a little while, how about that?" Ayame suggested, pointing towards the Japanese Dance Club.

With the agreement of the others, it wasn't long until the entire group of girls were wearing kimonos and even took a photo to remember the occasion. Afterwards, most of the group split off to explore the events and clubs that caught their eye.

Makoto couldn't resist taking part in the Cake Making Contest.

At the Fashion Design Club, Ayame and the others ran into Hiroko, who was a member. The club renting costumes that they had personally made.

Zoisite went and surprised the others by going to the Flower Arrangement Club and made a few arrangements himself.

Kunzite headed over to the Film Club while Ayame and Nephrite went to the Art Club Exhibit.

There was one event with Ring Puzzles and Usagi was utterly stumped.

At the Golf Club, Minako wasn't have much better luck than Usagi had with the puzzles. While Taura was winning by a long shot. Even Kunzite joined in, giving Taura a run for it, though he did have practice due to some of his business associates inviting him to join them for a game or two.

At the Feeling Couple 10 and 10, Ami and Rei tried it out and got negative results with the boys they had partnered with. Ayame and Nephrite tried it out, along with Umino and Naru, getting prefect results. Yuichiro tried to get Rei to try it out with him, though his efforts failed since she had to leave to prepare a few things, much to his disapointment.

Later, when they ended up regrouping at a Chinese-style Café which was hosted by Jing's class. Jing was even wearing a cute cheongsam as she seated them along with Kijin who had already eaten and was merely waiting for Jing's shift to end.

Before they could scatter once again, the group stopped to hear a voice over the intercom.

"In a few moments, this year's Queen of the T.A. Girl's Academy, Rei Hino, will begin her musical performance in the auditorium. We invite you to please bring your guest and come to the show."

"Wow!" Makoto exclaimed. "So Rei's queen of this event, as well."

"That's right. Everyone's counting on her for this year's festival to be a huge success." Ami informed them.

"She does have good leadership qualities." Artemis remarked.

"Mm! Someone we know should follow her example." Luna agreed, suggesting the last part patronizing before getting bonked on the head by a certain blonde.

"You deserved that!" Usagi informed the feline.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd warn me first." Luna muttered, the bump growing bigger.

"You had it coming, you really should have been expecting that when you ran your mouth." Zoisite informed the feline.

"While Rei is the organizing the festival, one person can't do everything alone. This festival was made possible by everyone's efforts." Kunzite added.

Ayame looked at Luna skeptically. "Seriously, have you forgotten she uses physical punishment to get others to agree with her? Remember what happened when Usagi first got the Moon Stick?"

"She's not a bad as she used to be." Jing piped up, speaking in Rei's defense. "Sure she yells a lot and is bossy, but she doesn't use physical punishment to motivate any of the girls here."

"She has to be bossy and yell a lot." Hiroko interjected. "Most of the girls here aren't as strong willed as Rei. They're basically pushovers. It was easy for Rei to get her way, it helps she's admired by most of the school to boot. Most were happy that Rei actually spoke to them, even if it was ordering them around."

"Well, either way, we're not getting anything done standing around and talking." Taura reminded them.

"Taura's right. We'd better hurry up or we won't be able to get good seats." Minako said.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Usagi cheered, following Minako.

Makoto, Ami, giggling as they followed behind them.

Sighing, Jadeite spoke with a shrug. "Well, might as well follow them." Leading the way as the others followed him.

As they walked, Nephrite spoke up. "I thought you had forgiven her for that incident?"

"I did. Sort of." Ayame admitted with a sigh. "I want to get along, but it's not always easy when it comes to Rei. I have a bad habit of holding grudges."

"It'll be okay, just don't let it blind you." Nephrite offered his advise, before kissing her forehead before they entered the auditorium and found some seats.

The room dark as they waited for the opening act.

When a stage light turned on, two figures were on the stage in some weird pose wearing some of the most ridiculous outfits Ayame had ever seen. It was a couple of aliens. The boy looked like a squire and the girl looked like her dress was part of a spaceship.

"Uh...Hello!" The boy said, the crowd laughing at his introduction and the outfits.

"Wow! They seem to like us!" The boy on stage muttered to his partner, the crowd unable to hear their conversation.

"It's not so bad after all." The girl agreed.

"Hey, who are they?" Usagi asked, the two looking familiar though they were dressed as some sort of space fighters with a fake sword and blaster.

"I think that's Natsumi and Seijuro." Ami answered.

"You're right!" Minako confirmed.

"What happened to his 'mister cool' image?" Makoto asked.

"Whatever they're doing, they look ridiculous." Zoisite stated.

"As a member of the Fashion club, I had nothing to do with that." Hiroko stated. Glaring at the ridiculous outfits, this time as some sort of squid alien. "You guys should see Rei's dress. I made it myself. It actually looks pretty good if I do say so myself."

Breathing in deeply, Seijuro spoke. "I can feel that energy rising."

"And there's plenty of it, which makes this a good place to steal some." Natsumi remarked.

"Yes, it does. This auditorium is just brimming with it." Seijuro he agreed with a dark glint in his eyes.

"Then I think the time to gather it up would be right now, my sweet." Natsumi suggested.

"Keep watching, Earthlings. You're in for an exciting show!" Seijuro promised as the curtain fell for the end of the fashion show.

Presumably, once the curtain fell, Natsumi and Seijuro left the stage. The crowd waiting patiently for Rei's turn to shine.

Over a microphone, a student announced the next event. "Thank you for your generous applause, ladies and gentlemen. Next we present a musical performance by Rei Hino!"

Behind the curtain, Rei was more than ready to perform. Placing her music sheets on the stand provided for her.

"Finally! It's Rei's turn to perform!" Minako cheered in excitement.

"I am so nervous!" Usagi gushed.

"Why's that? You're not the one who's going to be on that stage." Ami pointed out.

"I know that..." Usagi replied, puffing up in irritation.

"Hm." Kunzite hummed, thinking as he crossed his arms. "Rei wrote all the songs herself, right?"

"That's what she told us." Jing answered.

"I see. Perhaps, if Rei's songs and voice are as good as everyone says, I might just have to scout her for the talent agency." Kunzite informed them.

"What!? Really!? You could do that?!" Minako asked, her eyes starstruck as she fantasied about achieving her dream of being an idol.

"I am in charge of a talent agency. It was one of the businesses left over from the Dark Kingdom. We're always searching for new talent. Though, it would have to wait until we defeat our current enemy and it depends on Rei if she wishes to pursue a career as a singer and songwriter. If her songs are good." Kunzite answered, stressing the 'if' on the last sentence. "I only hire talent, first and foremost."

"You saw talent in me and I'm the second strongest of the Four Kings of Heaven." Zoisite budded in, bubbling with pride for his mentor and in his own skills.

Nephrite scoffed at the younger man before playfully joining the conversation. "You may have talent, but it's too bad you're still a brat."

"Why, you-!" Zoisite started to reply and continue their daily banter, only to be interrupted by the princess.

"Now, now, boys. No need to argue. We're here to watch the show." Ayame reminded them.

"Yes, Milady." The two replied in practiced unison.

"Shh, it's about to start." Makoto scolded them, ending all further discussion.

As the curtain was lifted into the air, Rei was slowly revealed. True to Hiroko's words, the dress was pretty good.

Starting from the top to the bottom, holding back Rei's dark hair was a red headband with floral fabric sewn on top. Lining the edges was small golden dots, that vaguely looked like coins. On the sides, in gold bases, were purple oval-shaped gems.

With the headband holding her bangs and the rest of her hair back from her face, it was easier to see the matching earrings Hiroko had selected for Rei to wear. The jewelry having the same purple oval-shaped gems, though they lacked the floral fabric. Instead having gold tassels that gradually shifted to pink under them.

Residing on her neck, a gold pearl choker adorned by a single purple gem in the center made itself at home. Below it, hanging around her neck was a pendant made of golden loose beads and the same purple gem as her headband, earrings, and choker. Attached to it was two tassels that in a gradient of gold, pink and violet.

Around her wrist were two golden bracelets on her left and on both arms were a matching set of purple and gold beads with another purple gem in the middle. Her nails painted pink to match her clothing.

The collarbone and shoulders of her dress was a light apple red lacy fabric with more golden beads on the end of the sleeves. Below the underarm, the lace gave way to more fabric that matched Rei's headband and trimmed with gold beads. Attached to it was tiny scalloped beading embellishing the dress. The floral fabric was designed like a tub top, before giving way to a white ruffled fabric, in three layers until reaching the waistband. The band was embellished with a golden border, multiple sections created by little medallions. In the sections was a bit of purple with small red dots in the center. In the middle of the band was the same purple gem ornament as her accessories.

The skirt of her dress puffed out in balloon skirt, the same color as the lace on her shoulders, but with a crimson design on the hem. More of the red floral fabric is sewn over it as peplum, lined with gold beaded chains.

On her leg, a ruby gem plate-like ornament with a gold border and several dangles clung on to her. Decorating her feet was a pair of green sandals with a gold ankle strap and foot strap connected by several bead chains. In the middle was a purple gem on a gold base with two gold, pink, and violet gradient tassels hanging from it.

Seeing the queen of the festival in all her glory, the crowd cheered in welcome.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Rei Hino, but I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Rei." Rei greeted the audience.

The crowd cheering, her fellow classmates especially loud.

"Thank you all for coming out to see me today. I'm so happy to have such a large, enthusiastic turn out." Rei continued.

"Good grief!" Luna groaned.

"She thinks she's a rock star!" Artemis muttered, a sweat drop rolling down his head.

"Looking good, Rei!" Grandpa cheered his granddaughter.

"You look amazing, Rei! Knock their socks off!" Yuichiro cheered beside his master.

"This song is from my heart for every one of you!" Rei announced.

"Rei, you are so awesome!" Usagi cheered.

Causing the rest of the group to grow sweat drops as the blonde was swept up in the excitement.

 _I'm not about to ignore you  
I will save you  
After all  
No one's closer than we are _

Outside the auditorium, up on the roof, the two interlopers were done waiting.

"It's time for us to choose a Cardian." Ali announced, pulling out the cards for his partner to choose from.

The selection was made quickly, the card revealing an underwater scenery with the main focus if the image a mermaid with a blue tail and arms. Her pink hair flowing at least down to where her mid thigh would have been if she were human. Her eyes seemingly closed as she floated along the unseen current.

"Come forth! Cardian Siren!" Calling out the monster's name, Ali placed his flute up to his lips and played the familiar tune that would unleash the servant withing the confines of the card. Water escaping the image as the Cardian swam out of it.

"Siren!" She cried.

Back in the auditorium, Rei gasped as she sensed a shift in the air. 'An evil aura!' She recognized, looking towards the rafters in search of the disturbance.

As if materializing out of thin air, Siren appeared in the auditorium. She looked slightly different from the image on the card she came from. Her hair tied up with pearls and her body less like a mermaid and more reminiscent of an orca, though she retained the same coloring as the image. On her back a dorsal fin had grown. The end of her tail, the caudal fin was longer with extended fins above it. Further up her tail was a adipose fin on the back side of Siren and on the front was a pair of pelvic fins.

Moving through the air as if it were water, the cardian screeched out it's name. "Siren!" Diving down as golden dusk flew down towards the crowd.

"What's that?!" Usagi cried, bewildered.

"It's a Cardian!" Ami exclaimed, quickly processing what they were seeing.

"Keep away from that shiny dust!" Artemis warned.

Around them, people groaned as the dust effects kicked in and one by one fell asleep.

"A monster!" Yuichiro yelled, freaking out before succumbing to the monster's attack.

"Young lady, wanna work part-time as a Shrine Maiden? It's a lot of fun..." Grandpa called out the Cardian. His words trailing off as the dust kicked in and he too fell asleep along with the rest of the audience.

Moving quickly before the dust could settle on them, the girls hid under their seats. Unfortunately to the guys, their builds wouldn't allow them to easily fit under the seats. Pretending to succumb to the dust, the men laid down and Zoisite raised his hand above them.

"Zoi!" He whispered, the petals streaming out from his finger tips as them formed a protective shield around them, keeping the dust off, but low enough the monster hopefully wouldn't notice.

On the roof, the aliens were assured of their victory.

"Well, looks like it's going nicely." Ali observed.

"All we do now is wait by the Makai Tree." An stated as her partner smiled at her before taking each others hands and disappearing. Leaving the situation in Siren's capable fins.

"Siren!" The cardian aggressively shouted at Rei, floating just in front of the stage.

For some inexplicable reason, the Cardian had left her alone from the dust attack.

Seeing the monster had given Rei her full attention, she could only gasp in fear. The monster's hair unleashed from the pearl ornament holding them in place. The hair moving like tentacles as the lashed out towards the screaming Rei.

"Look! Rei's in trouble!" Usagi shouted, the girls having gotten up from underneath the seats.

"We've gotta help her." Makoto shouted.

"Kijin! Stay here!" Jing told her boyfriend as he nodded and hid in the seats. The boy wishing he could be more useful in such situations, watching the Four Kings of Heaven with envy.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

"Gaea Feudal Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"Zephyrus Power!

"Jupiter Power!

"Eurus Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Boreas Power!"

"Make Up!" The girls shouted.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon!"

"I am Sailor Gaea! The protector of humanity and nature!"

"Sailor Mercury!"

"Sailor Zephyrus!"

"Sailor Jupiter!"

"Sailor Eurus!"

"Sailor Venus!"

"Sailor Boreas!"

"We're the Sailor Guardians!" They introduced themselves, each posing.

"Jadeite!"

"Nephrite!"

"Zoisite!"

"Kunzite!"

"We are the Four Kings of Heaven. Warriors of Earth! Joining out allies the Sailor Guardians in this fight is as well." Nephrite announced, the men having transformed as well. "Prepare to meet your end monster!"

"Who wants a fish fry?" Zoisite quipped.

Up on stage, the Cardian barely gave them any mind and focused solely on Rei. The girl entirely caught up in the monster's hair.

Struggling and grunting in an effort to get out, Rei was slowly being drained and trying to not get choked as the strands wrapped around her neck.

"I'm a star! Let me go you monster!" Rei ordered.

"Supreme!"

"Bubble!"

"Thunder!"

"Spray!"

Mercury and Jupiter attacked, cutting the strands unevenly. Causing Rei to gasp as she suddenly flew backwards with the hair not longer holding her up.

Retracting her hair, Siren turned to see who interfered. "Hm?" She sneered snootily before lashing out at them. "Siren!"

The two attackers grunting as the hair wrapped around their necks.

"Oh, no you don't!" Kunzite shouted as he and his protégé rushed to free the girls while Nephrite and Jadeite covered them with Sailor Zephyrus and Sailor Boreas went to attack the monster and hopefully distract it from the others. Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon rushed to make sure Rei was alright.

"Rei, are you okay?" Sailor Moon asked, kneeling down beside the fallen girl with Venus on the other side. Sailors Gaea and Eurus standing guard beside them. Sailor Eurus wielding her new weapon.

It was larger than her old weapon, the Falling Autumn Mace. It was a huge Sledgehammer!

When Naru had given her the weapon, Hiroko had nearly dropped it from the mass weight. Naru had dudded it, Autumn's Hibernating Hammer.

The very base of the hammer was made like a five pointed red-violet flower. Almost magenta colored. The blossom facing the ground with the back of the petals showing. Crawling up the handle, with a dark crimson color as the background, Naru had etched assorted leaves and fruits, symbolizing the season she represented in gold colors. From the handle, it continued up and around the rounded face of the hammer. From the weight of it, Sailor Eurus wondered if Naru had taken a hunk of solid iron and turned it into a cylinder. Then taking the handle, she had extended it to loop around the cylinder and bolted the thing in place. It was heavy! The cylinder was steel colored with black and gold accents and the loop was the same magenta as the flower at the base.

But there was no time to admire the craftsmanship as they focused on Siren.

"Look out!" Luna shouted in warning. Sailor Gaea and Eurus tensing as more hair lashed out to take them as well.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon cried, looking to see what was happening. Screaming as she and the other girls were captured by the monster's hair.

"Sailor Gaea!" The men cried as the princess was taken. Each of them having trouble with the monster. No matter how much they cut, the hair simply grew back. Wrapping around their legs and pulling their feet right out from under them and swinging them around as they dropped their weapons.

As Sailor Eurus was brought forward, Sailor Gaea swung her sword at her companions bonds, freeing her as she scrambled to create some distance between herself and the monster.

"Sailor Gaea!" Sailor Eurus called out. "Everyone!"

"Siren!" The monster bellowed, her hair drawing energy from her prisoners.

Sailor Mercury groaning as she fell to her knees.

"Her hair's stealing all our energy..." Sailor Jupiter managed to groan out, realizing what was happening.

"Can't free myself..." Sailor Moon informed the others.

"Me neither..." Sailor Venus added.

"I'm too handsome to be fish food." Zoisite grunted.

"Sailor Eurus, call Sailor Notus!" Jadite yelled. "Get help!"

"She's too far away to help now!" Kunzite shouted.

For a moment, Sailor Eurus hesitated. Seeing how easy the monster captured the others she knew her chances of defeating it alone was slim. But Sailor Notus was far away it would be too late by the time she arrived to help.

Hearing grunting behind her, Sailor Eurus was surprised the see Rei was conscious.

"Hang on, everyone! I'm coming!" Rei assured them.

"Don't do it, Rei!" Artemis yelled.

"You're too weak to fight!" Luna warned her.

"Do we really have any other options here!?" Nephrite shouted at the feline.

"Be quiet! Make yourselves useful and distract that thing! Believe in her abilities to surpass her limits!" Sailor Eurus scolded the cats.

"You can do it, Sailor Mars!" Sailor Zephyrus shouted.

"Go Sailor Mars!" Sailor Boreas encouraged.

"M-Mars Power! Make Up!" Rei shouted.

"You ruined my concert and stole energy from my dear fans... Those are terrible crimes! So now... In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" Sailor Mars scolded the monster, knees buckling as her energy wavered. Grunting as Sailor Eurus came to her aid. Helping her stand tall in the face of danger as she stood by her fellow Sailor's side.

"I slaved away night and day making Rei's dress. And you go and nearly ruin it, you horrid Cardian! But the worst crimes besides your lack of fashion is your audacity to attack my comrades and princess! In the name of the east wind, I will reap the evil you have sown!" Sailor Eurus shouted.

"Harvest Vines!" Sailor Eurus attacked the vines restricting the monster's movements.

Standing on her own, Sailor Mars attacked. "Fire Soul!" The flames burning the monster's hair as it screamed in rage. The flames easily burning through the hair and freeing the others as some gasped in relief, air filling their lungs. While the men fell in a heap without the monster holding them up in the air anymore.

"Agh! Siren!" She screeched, water flowing from her mouth and dousing the flames. "Siren! Siren!" She yelled, even angrier than before, she went about hacking away at the vines and slowly freeing herself.

"No way! That thing put out my Fire Soul attack!" Sailor Mars shouted, shocked at the new development.

Siren approached the girls, water left behind in puddles as she moved across the stage.

"It's hopeless! Just save yourself, Sailor Mars!" Sailor Moon weakly called out, falling over as her legs failed her.

"Idiot! Don't tell her to do something like that!" Sailor Gaea yelled at the blonde, even though she was hardly in a better state.

"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars called out.

"Sailor Gaea!" Sailor Eurus shouted, fighting the urge to rust to the princess's side.

"Siren!" It screeched, almost offended her prey wasn't paying attention to her. Infuriated and growling, Siren rushed at them. Only to stop when something slashed at her face.

Both Sailor Mars and Eurus gasped as they laid eyes on the single white rose, quickly turning to their rescuer.

"In the corner of the silent expanse of the universe, there is a planet that plays a lovely melody. That planet is our Earth. But the song created there belongs to everyone. And if you trample on this everlasting melody, no matter who you are... I, the Moonlight Knight, will make you pay!" The Moonlight Knight vowed, drawing his sword as he stood up above along the stage lights.

"Moonlight Knight! Thank goodness!" Sailor Mars shouted in gratitude.

"Sailor Mars, will you please sing your beautiful song once more?" The Moonlight Knight asked.

"I'll be more than happy to!" Sailor Mars replied.

"Is he flirting with you?" Sailor Eurus asked.

With Sailor Gaea, weak as she was, she payed close attention to what was going on. 'He asked her to sing again... Does that mean he knows who Sailor Mars is!? Did he see us all transform?!'

But those questions, both verbal and mere thoughts, were left unanswered. The Moonlight Knight jumping down from the rafters and attack Siren. Grunting as he jumped down. Retaliating, the Cardian grunted as she swung her tail around, knocking down the stand holding Rei's music.

Much to Sailor Mars's shock, gasping in horror as her hard work was ruined. After all the scrapped rough drafts, plotting down the notes and trying to make a coherent melody. Growing frustrated at herself until it finally came to her.

As the papers fell like leaves, Sailor Mars's eyes began to water before hardening into a glare. "Unforgivable... Unforgivable!" Sailor Mars shouted, fired up and ready to take the monster down.

"Now you've done it, Monster! You will taste the wrath of my new hammer!" Sailor Eurus shouted.

Taking a talisman, Sailor Mars began to chant. "Namah Samanta Vajraanaam, Candamahaarosana Sphotaya huum Trat Haam Maam! Hnnh! Fire Soul Bird!" The ball of fire moving as it normally did until connecting to the talisman, transforming into a bird as it launched itself at the monster.

Seeing the opportunity, Sailor Eurus began her own chant. "Autumn's Hibernating Hammer, filled with the Winds of the East! With a single blow, shake the earth and awaken from your slumbering hibernation, oh great Mother Earth! Break the enemy with a mighty quake!"

"Bountiful Leaf Transposition!" Sailor Eurus shouted, swinging the sledgehammer down. Creating a visible shockwave directed at Siren, surrounding her as leaves appeared. The wind kicked up from the hit sending the leaves up in a pillar, connecting the ground to the sky and forming a tornado and the leaves cutting into the monster's scaly hide.

"Siren!" She yelled, focused on the fiery bird as it shot out more water at it. Only for the bird to fly around it as if alive. The bird cutting into the monster's torso and setting the leaves aflame. "Ah! Siren! Siren! Ah!" She cried, the energy she had collected draining out of the wounds.

"Sailor Mars' true power has awakened!" Artemis yelled, astounded by the new development.

Meanwhile, the energy Siren had drained from the protectors of Earth leaked from the wounds inflicted upon her by Sailor Mars and Eurus. Returning back to their rightful owners, each getting up as they sat up and groaned.

Seeing what was happening, Luna couldn't help but cheer. "Your energy has returned!"

Looking back at her comrades, Sailor Mars called out to her leader. "Sailor Moon! Now!"

"You got it!" Sailor Moon answered, attacking the monster. "Moon Princess Halation!"

"Gaea Magma Inferno!" Sailor Gaea yelled, adding her attack to make sure the monster was defeated.

"Oh! Cleansing!" Siren screamed her final words, throwing her arms in the air before reduced to a simple card once more. Turning black as smoke was expelled.

"Good work, Sailor Guardians!" The Moonlight Knight congratulated them. "Don't ever forget the light shines in your hearts! Adieu!" Biding his farewell's, the Arabic themed man grabbed a hold of his cape and vanished into thin air.

"Thank you, Moonlight Knight!" Sailor Moon shouted back, though the man had already left and probably hadn't heard her.

As for Sailor Gaea, her eyes never left the spot he disappeared from. Eyes narrowed in contemplation, she worried what the mysterious man's motives were and just who was he. He clearly had some sort of power to just disappear the way he did all the time, so he couldn't be a random civilian that liked to dress up. But, he couldn't be someone from the Silver Millennium, she didn't recall anyone from the Golden Kingdom that was like him. Luna and Artemis didn't seem to know him, or if they did, they got better at hiding things from all of them.

Huffing in aggravation, her thoughts getting her no where, Sailor Gaea returned to being Ayame as the lot of them returned to their seats. As they say: The show must go on!

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before the gang knew it, everything was back to normal. Rei was having a blast as the crowd cheered once again after she completed another one of her songs. As the crowd began to quiet down again, Rei repeated what the Moonlight Knight had said.

"In the corner of the silent expanse of the universe, there is a planet that plays a lovely melody... And that planet is our Earth. My final song is 'Everlasting Melody'. I hope you enjoy it."

I feel the warmth within my heart  
Cause I know that's where you are  
If I never say I love you so  
You will always be a part of me

And now, I thank you for giving me the strength  
I found this amazing power  
It shines and embraces all that I see

I love you more than I can fathom  
And your smile it glows  
Surrounding me with laughter  
And growing like a seed  
And it's flowing in the wind  
And I know there are no more limits to my dream

After the song was over, Ayame glanced over to Yuichiro and saw the guy rubbing his eyes to rid himself of the tears he had gathered there. Glancing back at Rei, Ayame wondered if the song was about Yuichiro and Rei's relationship.

After the performance, the group enjoyed the festival long after sundown, the school hosted a bonfire as everyone gathered together. Ami, Minako, Makoto, and the cats were sitting together. Zoisite, Kunzite, and Jadeite were with Hiroko and Taura while Yuichiro was sitting with grandpa. While the couples: Naru and Umino, Jing and Kijin, Nephrite and Ayame were sitting in their own groups.

Not too far from Ayame and Nephrite, Usagi and Rei sat together in silence for once.

"You know what?" Usagi asked, breaking the silence between herself and Rei.

"Huh?" Rei asked.

"I thought that was a lovely song." Usagi answered.

"Thank you." Rei replied, blushing at the complement.

"I never realized, but you're a really super hard worker." Usagi admitted.

Giggling in embarrassment, Rei decided to rile up Usagi and return to their normal banter. "Usagi, why don't I teach you a thing or two about hard work?" She suggested, her words doing the trick.

"What?! No thanks, I don't need to be like you!" Usagi replied.

"Well fine then! You're the one whose gonna regret it later!" Rei warned her.

"Uh-uh! I'm perfectly happy the way I am!" Usagi insisted.

"Are you sure about that?" Rei asked.

"Of course I'm sure! I wouldn't say it if I wasn't sure! And move over! You're hogging the bench!" Usagi complained.

Watching them go at it like cats and dogs, Ayame couldn't help sigh in exasperation. "There they go again. They'll never change."

Chuckling, Nephrite puled Ayame closer as they cuddled. Ayame leaning against his warm, strong chest.

"True, I don't need the stars to predict that." He joked. "But, while it can be annoying and a little loud, it's just their way of showing they care."

"They either bicker like an old married couple or a couple of immature brats." Ayame pointed out, watching the two in question with amusement.

"Well, I can think of a few better ways to express the way one feels." Nephrite teased.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Ayame asked, tilting her head back to see her boyfriend.

"This." He answered with a mischievous smirk, swooping down and stealing a kiss.

Pulling back, he watched her cheeks bloom with red as she giggled. The light of the bonfire casing a warm glow, making her eyes light up like stars. The lighting reminding them both of the festivals of the Golden Kingdom. Standing up, Ayame pulled her partner up along with her.

"No festival is complete without dancing, wouldn't you say?" Ayame suggested.

"Quite right, my dear." Nephrite answered before bowing. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes."

With that, the couple danced to the beat of their hearts, eventually drawing other couples to join in around them as they all dance around the fire. Ayame allowing herself to let loose and enjoy the present. Forgetting her worries and enjoy being surrounded by those she loved.


End file.
